Two Generations Read the Philosopher's Stone
by Padfoot-Moony-an-Prongs
Summary: What happens when a mysterious book appears along with some very familiar people, join Harry and friends as they read Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
1. Finding a Mysterious Book

Harry, Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Fred and George were all sitting in the living room of the burrow, Ron and Harry were playing chess which Harry was losing rather spectacularly, Hermione and Ginny were half watching the chess game and half talking quietly to each other and Fred and George were leaning over a piece of parchment chatting quietly and probably inventing something or another.

"Ha" proclaimed Ron "Checkmate"

People started to come out of the kitchen from the order meeting as since Sirius died it was no longer safe to continue using Grimmauld Place as headquarters, everyone except Remus, Tonks, Dumbledore and McGonagall left as the four of them were staying for dinner and Mr. and Mrs. Weasley stayed in the kitchen. They had just sat down when in a flash of blinding white light a book appeared on the table in front of Ginny; she picked up the book and read the title _Harry Potter and the philosopher's stone _and dropped the book in shock. Everyone was now looking curiously at Ginny.

"What's the book?" asked Remus curiously, Ginny handed the book over to him, he stared at title for a few moments before reading it aloud for everyone else "_Harry Potter and the Philosopher's stone"_

"What?" squeaked Harry rather shocked

"That's what it says" said Remus who passed the book over to Harry, He was still staring at the cover of the book when there was another flash of blinding white light, and a group of eight people appeared whom everyone recognised almost immediately as Remus, Sirius, Harry's parents James and Lily Potter who all appeared about 21yrs old, a 1yr old Harry and to Harry's displeasure the three Dursley's, everyone was shocked and speechless. The quiet was broken by Vernon Dursley

"BOY" screeched Uncle Vernon at Harry "THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT" then turning to Dumbledore he said "Take us home now"

"Sorry" said Dumbledore not sounding sorry at all "but I can't do that" the Dursley's glared at him but decided it was best to sit down and shut up, Dumbledore then turned to the others "Now what can we do for you?"

"Err… where exactly are we?" asked Lily rather confused, She, James and Harry had gone into hiding under the Fidelius Charm and now they were in a house they hadn't seen before, she assumed it couldn't be too bad as she was talking to Dumbledore who was completely relaxed, though looking older than the last time she saw him.

"Welcome" said Ron somewhat dramatically "to the Burrow" as the timetravellers looked confused, Ron added "My families home"

"And Err who are you exactly" asked James

"The name's Ron Weasley" said Ron starting the introductions "you already know Dumbledore, and McGonagall" pointing out each respective person as went along Ron continued with the introductions "and that's one of my best friends Hermione Granger, my older twin brother's Fred and George, my younger sister Ginny, my other best mate Harry…" James, Lily, Sirius and the younger Remus were all looking from baby Harry to sixteen yr old Harry, the younger Remus looked thoughtful but asked

"What year is it?"

"1996" replied Dumbledore

"1996?" repeated Sirius questioningly

"Yes" the timetravellers were rather shocked at that

"You mean to say" asked Lily "that we somehow managed to travel from our current time which by the way is 30th October 1981" most people had gone somewhat pale at the mention of the day before Lily and James were killed but the timetravellers didn't seem to notice "to sometime in 1996"

"Yes" replied Dumbledore "it is the 1st of August 1996"

"Now who is everyone else here?" asked Sirius so Ron continued introducing people, again pointing them out as he went along

"Nymphadora Tonks" as the pink haired Metamorphmagus glared at him he added "but she prefers just Tonks" Sirius looked surprised at that but Ron continued "Remus Lupin"

The younger Remus looked somewhat dazed and said weakly "there's two of me, that's going to be a little confusing isn't it?"

"Err, I suppose one of us could always use Moony" suggested the older Remus

"I will" said the younger Remus

"Good now that's settled" said Lily "one, what do we do now? And two why are the Dursley's here?"

"Well to answer your first question" started Dumbledore "until we can figure out how to send you guy's back again your stuck here" James, Lily, Sirius and Moony all nodded accepting this "and as to why the Dursley's are here I have no idea"

"Can we read the book now" asked Hermione

"Good idea Miss Granger" stated Professor McGonagall

"What book?" asked Lily, so Harry passed the book which he was still holding over to them, the timetravellers all looked extremely surprised at the title, and put the book on the table again.

"Lets read it" agreed James, Lily, Sirius and Moony

**

* * *

**

A/N: that's it for the first chapter, please tell me what you thought, and I will try to update the story as often as I can.

**Padfoot-Moony-an-Prongs**


	2. The Boy Who Lived

"Ok so who's going to read first" asked Ginny

"I will" volunteered Harry

_**CHAPTER ONE THE BOY WHO LIVED**_

**Mr. and Mrs. Dursley…, of number four Privet Drive, were proud to say that they were perfectly normal, thank you very much.**

Harry snorted in disbelief

**They were the last people you'd expect to be involved in anything strange or mysterious, because they just didn't hold with such nonsense.**

**Mr. Dursley was the director of a firm called Grunnings..., which made drills.**

"What are drills" asked Ron

"They are a tool muggles use" explained Hermione

**He was a big, beefy man with hardly any neck, although he did have a very large moustache. Mrs. Dursley was thin and blonde and had nearly twice the usual amount of neck, which came in very useful as she spent much of her time craning over garden fences, spying on the neighbours. The Dursley's had a small son called Dudley... and in their opinion there was no finer boy anywhere.**

Everyone whom had met Dudley shook their heads disbelievingly

**The Dursley's had everything they wanted, but they also had a secret, and their greatest fear was that somebody would discover it. They didn't think they could bear it if anyone found out about the Potters. **

"Oh yes" muttered Harry sarcastically "can't have us potter's near your precious dinky duddydums"

A few people laughed at the nickname for Dudley, but the Dursley's glared at Harry

**Mrs. Potter was Mrs. Dursley's sister,**

"Unfortunately" muttered Lily

**but they hadn't met for several years: in fact, Mrs. Dursley pretended she didn't have a sister because her sister and her good-for-nothing husband were as unDursleyish...**

"Is that even a word?" asked Ron

"No" said Hermione and both Remus' knowledgeably

**...as it was possible to be. The Dursley's shuddered to think what the neighbours would say if the Potters arrived in the street. The Dursley's knew that the Potters had a small son, too, but they had never even seen him. This boy was another good reason for keeping the Potters away; they didn't want Dudley mixing with a child like that.**

"Child like what" growled James and Lily threateningly; Lily tightened her hold slightly on baby Harry who was sitting quite happily in his mother's lap.

**When Mr. and Mrs. Dursley woke up on the dull, grey Tuesday our story starts, there was nothing about the cloudy sky outside to suggest that strange and mysterious things would soon be happening all over the country. Mr. Dursley hummed as he picked out his most boring tie for work and Mrs. Dursley gossiped away happily as she wrestled a screaming Dudley into his high chair.**

"Brat" Ginny and Sirius commented

**None of them noticed a large tawny owl flutter past the window.**

"Course they wouldn't" commented Harry "they rarely even know what Dudley gets up to"

"BOY" thundered uncle Vernon menacingly "just what did you mean by that" Harry scooted further away from Aunt Petunia, Uncle Vernon and Dudley, and closer to Ginny

"We" sniffed Aunt Petunia angrily "always know exactly where Dudley is" Uncle Vernon and Dudley nodded their agreement.

"Just continue reading please Harry" said Remus kindly

**At half past eight, Mr. Dursley picked up his briefcase, pecked Mrs. Dursley on the cheek and tried to kiss Dudley goodbye but missed, because Dudley was now having a tantrum and throwing cereal at the walls.**

"Brat" most people muttered

"OUR SON IS NOT A BRAT" thundered Vernon

**"Little tyke," chortled Mr. Dursley as he left the house. He got into his car and backed out of number four's drive.  
It was on the corner of the street that he noticed the first sign of something peculiar - a cat reading a map.**

"I bet you it's Professor McGonagall" commented Sirius earning some bizarre looks from the Dursley's who clearly thought he was mad.

**For a second, Mr. Dursley didn't realise what he had seen -then he jerked his head around to look again. There was a tabby cat standing on the corner of Privet Drive, but there wasn't a map in sight.**

**What could he have been thinking of? It must have been a trick of the light. Mr. Dursley blinked and stared at the cat. It stared back. As Mr. Dursley drove around the corner and up the road, he watched the cat in his mirror. It was now reading the sign that said Privet Drive** - **No, looking at the sign; cats couldn't read maps or signs.**

"They can if they are McGonagall" Said Moony, McGonagall smiled slightly

**Mr. Dursley gave himself a little shake and put the cat out of his mind. As he drove towards town, he thought of nothing except a large order of drills he was hoping to get that day.**

"Boring" Muttered the twins and Ron at the same time, earning amused looks from most present, including the usually stern professor McGonagall.

**But on the edge of town, drills were driven out of his mind by something else. As he sat in the usual morning traffic jam, he couldn't help noticing that there seemed to be a lot of strangely dressed people about. People in cloaks. Mr. Dursley couldn't bear people who dressed in funny clothes - the get-ups you saw on young people!"**

"Oh yes" Muttered Ginny sarcastically "because people in cloaks all dress funny"

**He supposed this was some stupid new fashion. He drummed his fingers on the steering wheel and his eyes fell on a huddle of these weirdoes **

"Weirdoes" yelled all most everyone at the Dursley's "we are not weirdoes"

"You are though" Harry added under his breath, Remus who was the only one to have heard the last part looked at Harry amusedly.

"You really don't like your Aunt, Uncle and Cousin do you" Remus asked Harry quietly, Harry simply shook his head and continued reading.

**standing quite close by. They were whispering excitedly together. Mr. Dursley was enraged to see that a couple of them weren't young at all; why, that man had to be older than he was, and wearing an emerald green cloak! The nerve of him! But then it struck Mr. Dursley that this was probably some silly stunt - these people were obviously collecting for something ... yes, that would be it.**

Remus, Tonks, Dumbledore and McGonagall all looked faintly amused

**The traffic moved on, and a few minutes later, Mr. Dursley arrived in the Grunnings car park, his mind back on drills.**

"Have a bit of a one track mind don't you" said Tonks to Vernon, who simply glared in Tonks' direction.  
**  
Mr. Dursley always sat with his back to the window in his office on the ninth floor. If he hadn't, he might have found it harder to concentrate on drills that morning.** **He didn't see the owls swooping past in broad daylight, though the people down in the street did; they pointed and gazed open-mouthed as owl after owl sped overhead.**

"Bit careless aren't they?" asked Hermione

"Yes I suppose" replied Dumbledore "you can't really blame them though"

**Most of them had never seen an owl even at night time. Mr. Dursley, however, had a perfectly normal, owl-free morning. He yelled a five different people. He made several important telephone calls and shouted a bit more. He was in a very good mood until lunch-time, when he thought he'd stretch his legs and walk across the road to buy himself a bun from the baker's opposite.**

"And that…" Fred started

"Is his daily exercise" finished George, earning a few Laugh's

**He'd forgotten all about the people in cloaks until he passed a group of them next to the baker's. He eyed them angrily as he passed. He didn't know why, but they made him uneasy. This lot were whispering excitedly, too, and he couldn't see a single collecting tin. It was on his way back past them, clutching a large doughnut in a bag, that he caught a few words of what they were saying.**

**"The Potters, that's right, that's what I heard -"**

**"- yes, their son, Harry -"**

"Yes what about Harry?" asked Moony, Sirius, James and Lily simultaneously looking at Harry whom looked rather pale

**Mr. Dursley stopped dead. Fear flooded him. He looked back at the whisperers as if he wanted to say something to them, but thought better of it.**

"Yes well I wasn't going to start up a conversation with a bunch of freaks" stated Vernon, everyone simply ignored him.

**He dashed back across the road, hurried up to his office, snapped at his secretary not to disturb him, seized his telephone and had almost finished dialing his home number when he changed his mind. He put the receiver back down and stroked his moustache, thinking...**

"That must have been hard work" stated James

**No, he was being stupid. Potter wasn't such an unusual name. **

Harry snorted "what gave you that idea?"

"Yeah" added Ron 'there is only one Potter family in the wizarding world"

**He was sure there were lots of people called Potter who had a son called Harry. Come to think of it, he wasn't even sure his nephew was called Harry. He'd never even seen the boy. It might have been Harvey. Or Harold. **

"Lovely" Remus growled shaking his head in disbelief "can't even remember your own nephew's name"

**There was no point in worrying Mrs. Dursley; she always got so upset at any mention of her sister. He didn't blame her - if he'd had a sister like that... but all the same, those people in cloaks...**

"Yes what about us" asked everyone

**He found it a lot harder to concentrate on drills that afternoon, and when he left the building at five o'clock, he was still so worried that he walked straight into someone just outside the door.**

**"Sorry," he grunted, as the tiny old man stumbled and almost fell.**

"Well at least he apologized" commented Hermione

**It was a few seconds before Mr. Dursley realised that the man was wearing a violet cloak. He didn't seem at all upset at being almost knocked to the ground. On the contrary, his face ****split into a wide smile and he said in a squeaky voice-** **that made passers-by stare: "Don't be sorry my dear sir, for nothing could upset me today! Rejoice, for You-Know-Who has gone at last! Even Muggles like your self should be celebrating this happy, happy day!"**

Everyone from the past was staring in disbelief.

"Is it true?" asked Moony not daring to believe it

"Yes" was the mumbled replied from both Harry and Remus.

"Well" said Sirius jovially "you could be a little happier about it" Harry and Remus shook their heads

"Why not?" Lily questioned confused.

"Well half the reason is Voldemort returned about a year ago" said Harry rather quietly "and well the other half of the reason you'll find out soon enough"

**And the old man hugged Mr. Dursley around the middle and walked off.  
Mr. Dursley stood rooted to the spot. He had been hugged by a complete stranger. He also thought he had been called a Muggle, whatever that was.**

"That Dursley" said James "is because you were just called a muggle"

**He was rattled. He hurried to his car and set off home, hoping he was imagining things, which he had never hoped before, because he didn't approve of imagination.**

"Well your no fun" said Sirius

**As he pulled into the driveway at number four, the first thing he saw - and it didn't improve his mood - was the tabby cat he'd spotted that morning. It was now sitting on his garden wall. He was sure it was the same one; it had the same markings around its eyes.**

**"Shoo!" said Mr. Dursley loudly.**

"If that is McGonagall, then it's not going to do anything" commented Lily

**The cat didn't move. It just gave him a stern look.**

**Was this normal cat behaviour, Mr. Dursley wondered? Trying to pull himself together, he let himself into the house. He was still determined not to mention anything to his wife.**

**Mrs. Dursley had had a nice, normal day. She told him over dinner all about Mrs. Next Door's problems with her daughter and how Dudley had learnt a new word (Shan't).**

"Ooh smart Duddy" said Harry "bet that was real hard" Dudley didn't look very impressed.

**Mr. Dursley tried to act normally. When Dudley had been put to bed, he went into the living-room in time to catch the last report on the evening news:**

**"And finally, bird-watchers everywhere have reported that the nation's owls have been behaving very unusually today. Although owls normally hunt at night and are hardly ever seen in daylight, there have been hundreds of sightings of these birds flying in every direction since sunrise. Experts are unable to explain why the owls have suddenly changed ****their sleeping pattern." The news reader allowed himself a grin. "Most mysterious. And now, over to Jim McGuffin with the weather. Going to be any more showers of owls tonight, Jim?"**

"Shower of owls?" said Hermione "Well that's different"

**"Well, Ted," said the weatherman, "I don't know about that, but it's not only the owls that have been acting oddly today. Viewers as far apart as Kent, Yorkshire and Dundee have been phoning in to tell me that instead of the rain that I promised yesterday, they've had a downpour of shooting stars!**

"Shooting stars" Lily asked "who was responsible for that?"

"Dedalus Diggle" McGonagall replied "or at least I think so"

**Perhaps people have been celebrating Bonfire Night early**- **It's not until next week, folks! But I can promise a wet night tonight."**

**Mr. Dursley sat frozen in his armchair. Shooting stars all over the place? And a whisper, a whisper about the Potters...Mrs. Dursley came into the living-room carrying two cups of tea. It was no good. He'd have to say something to her. He cleared his throat nervously. "Er - Petunia, dear - you haven't heard from your sister lately, have you?"**

**As he expected, Mrs. Dursley looked shocked and angry. After all, they normally pretended she didn't have a sister.**

"Lovely" Lily comment "and I love you too"

**"No," she said sharply. "Why?"**

**"Funny stuff on the news," Mr. Dursley mumbled. "Owls... shooting stars... and there were a lot of funny-looking people in town today..."**

**"So?" snapped Mrs. Dursley.**

**"Well, I just thought... maybe ... it was something to do with ... you know ... her lot."**

"MY LOT" screeched Lily fed up with Petunia "that does it" Lily got out her wand and turned Petunia's hair blue. Everyone laughed except for the Dursley's.

Looking quite serious Tonks commented "Pink is a better colour" which only caused everyone to laugh harder, once everyone had calmed down Harry continued reading

**Mrs. Dursley sipped her tea through pursed lips. Mr. Dursley wondered whether he dared tell her he'd heard the name 'Potter'.** **He decided he didn't dare. **

"Coward" a few people commented

**Instead he said, as casually as he could, "Their son - he'd be about Dudley's age now wouldn't he?"**

**"I suppose so," said Mrs. Dursley stiffly.  
****  
"What's his name again? Howard isn't it?"**

**"Harry. Nasty, common name, if you ask me."**

"No one did and Harry is a lovely name" commented Ginny causing Harry to blush

**Oh, yes," said Mr. Dursley, his heart sinking horribly. "Yes, I quite agree."  
He didn't say another word on the subject as they went upstairs to bed. While Mrs. Dursley was in the bathroom, Mr. Dursley crept to the bedroom window and peered down into the front garden. The cat was still there. It was staring down Privet Drive as though it was waiting for something.  
Was he imagining things?**

"Thought you didn't approve of imagination" commented Sirius, Vernon only grunted in response

**Could all this have anything to do with the Potters? If it did ... if it got out that they were related to a pair of - well, he didn't think he could bear it.**

"A pair of what?" asked James deceptively calm

**The Dursley's got into bed. Mrs. Dursley fell asleep quickly but Mr. Dursley lay awake, turning it all over in his mind. His last, comforting thought before he fell asleep was that even if the Potters were involved, there was no reason for them to come near him and Mrs. Dursley. The Potters knew very well what he and Petunia thought about them and their kind ... He couldn't see how he and Petunia could get mixed up in anything that might be going on. He yawned and turned over. It couldn't affect them ...**

**How very wrong he was.**

"Unfortunately" muttered Harry

**Mr. Dursley might have been drifting into an uneasy sleep, but the cat on the wall outside was showing no sign of sleepiness. It was sitting as still as a statue, its eyes fixed unblinkingly on the far corner of Privet Drive. It didn't so much as quiver when a car door slammed in the next street, nor when the two owls swooped overhead.**

**In fact, it was nearly midnight before the cat moved at all.**

"I still reckon the cat's McGonagall" said Sirius

**A man appeared on the corner the cat had been watching, appeared so suddenly and silently you'd have thought he'd just popped out of the ground.**

"Apparated" commented Fred and George

**The cat's tail twitched and its eyes narrowed.**

**Nothing like this man had been seen in Privet Drive. He was tall, thin and very old, judging by the silver of his hair and beard, which were both long enough to tuck into his belt.**

**He was wearing long robes, a purple cloak which swept the ground and high-heeled, buckled boots. His blue eyes were light, bright and sparkling behind half-moon spectacles and his nose was very long and crooked, as though it had been broken at least twice. **

"Dumbledore" said a few people quite unnecessarily

**This man's name was Albus Dumbledore.**

**Albus Dumbledore didn't seem to realise that he had just arrived in a street where everything from his name to his boots was unwelcome. He was busy rummaging in his cloak, looking for something. But he did seem to realise he was being watched, because he looked up suddenly at the cat, which was still staring at him from the other end of the street. For some reason, the sight of the cat seemed to amuse him. He chuckled and muttered, "I should have known."**

**He had found what he was looking for in his inside pocket. ****It seemed to be a silver cigarette lighter. He flicked it open, held it up in the air and clicked it. The nearest street lamp went out with a little pop.**

"Cool" commented Fred "I want one"

"Me too" said George agreeing wholeheartedly with his twin brother

**He clicked it again - the next lamp flickered into darkness. Twelve times he clicked the Put-Outer, until the only lights left in the whole street were two tiny pinpricks in the distance, which were the eyes of the cat watching him.**

**If anyone looked out of their window now, even the beady-eyed Mrs. Dursley, they wouldn't be able to see anything that was happening down on the pavement. Dumbledore slipped the Put-Outer back inside his cloak and set off down the street towards number four, where he sat down on the wall next to the cat.**

**He didn't look at it, but after a moment he spoke to it.**

**"Fancy seeing you here, Professor McGonagall."**

"Told ya" stated Sirius triumphantly, Harry stared at his Godfather.

**He turned to smile at the tabby, but it had gone. Instead he was smiling at a rather severe looking woman who was wearing square glasses exactly the shape of the markings the cat had had around its eyes. She, too, was wearing a cloak, an emerald one. Her black hair was drawn into a tight bun. She looked distinctly ruffled.**

**"How did you know it was me?" she asked.**

**"My dear Professor, I've never seen a cat sit so stiffly."**

**"You'd be stiff too if you'd been sitting on a brick wall all day," said Professor McGonagall.**

Ginny raised an eyebrow at Professor McGonagall "Really" she commented "sitting on a brick wall all day, wouldn't that be kind of boring?"

**"All day? When you could have been celebrating? I must have passed a dozen feasts and parties on my way here."**

**Professor McGonagall sniffed angrily.**

**"Oh yes, everyone's celebrating all right," she said impatiently. "You'd think they'd be a bit more careful, but no - even the Muggles noticed something's going on. It was on their news." She jerked her head back at the Dursley's' dark living-room window. "I heard it. Flocks of owls ... shooting stars ... Well, they're not completely stupid. They were bound to notice something. Shooting stars down in Kent - I'll bet that was Dedalus Diggle. He never had much sense."**

**You can't blame them," said Dumbledore gently. "We've had precious little to celebrate for eleven years."**

"Eleven years" said James "but that would mean that Voldemort disappears sometime this year in our time" Dumbledore nodded gravely

**"I know that," said Professor McGonagall irritably. "But that's no reason to lose our heads. People are being downright careless, out on the streets in broad daylight, not even dressed in Muggle clothes swapping rumors."**

**She threw a sharp, sideways glance at Dumbledore here, as though hoping he was going to tell her something, but he didn't, so she went on: "A fine thing it would be if, on the very day You-Know-Who seems to have disappeared at last, the Muggles found out about us all. I suppose he really has gone, Dumbledore?"**

"Unfortunately not" said Dumbledore

**"It certainly seems so," said Dumbledore. "We have much to be thankful for. Would you care for a sherbet lemon?"**

"A what?" asked Ron

**"A what?"**

A few people laughed

**"A sherbet lemon. They're a kind of Muggle sweet I'm rather fond of."**

**"No, thank you," said Professor McGonagall coldly, as though she didn't think this was the moment for sherbet lemons.**

**"As I say, even if You-Know-Who has gone -"**

**"My dear Professor, surely a sensible person like your self can call him by his name? All this 'You-Know-Who' nonsense - for eleven years I have been trying to persuade people to call him by his proper name: Voldemort".**

**Professor McGonagall flinched, but Dumbledore, who was un-sticking two sherbet lemons, seemed not to notice.**

**"It all gets so confusing if we keep saying 'You-Know-Who.' I have never seen any reason to be frightened of saying Voldemort's name."**

"Well we know you haven't" said McGonagall

**"I know you haven't," said Professor McGonagall, sounding half-exasperated, half-admiring. "But you're different. Everyone knows you're the one You-Know - oh, all right, Voldemort - was frightened of"**

**"You flatter me," said Dumbledore calmly. "Voldemort had powers I will never have."**

**"Only because you're too - well - noble to use them."**

**"It's lucky it's dark. I haven't blushed so much since Madam Pomfrey told me she liked my new earmuffs."**

A few people laughed

**Professor McGonagall shot a sharp look at Dumbledore and said, "The owls are nothing compared to the rumors that are flying around. You know what everyone's saying? About why he's disappeared? About what finally stopped him?" It seemed that Professor McGonagall had reached the point she was most anxious to discuss, the real reason she had been waiting on a cold hard wall all day, for neither as a cat nor as a woman had she fixed Dumbledore with such a piercing stare as she did now.**

"What stopped him?" Lily asked curiously

**It was plain that whatever 'everyone' was saying, she was not going to believe it until Dumbledore told her it was true. Dumbledore, however, was choosing another sherbet lemon and did not answer.**

Remus was watching Harry who was rather pale "are you ok to continue reading?" he asked concerned, Harry nodded and continued to read though rather shakily.

**"What they're saying," she pressed on, "is that last night Voldemort turned up in Godric's Hollow. He went to find the Potters. The rumor is that Lily and James Potter are - are - that they're - dead.**

The silence in the room after that was deafening

"Please say that it's not true" said Lily quietly

"Well we could" replied Dumbledore quietly "but that would be lying"

Lily eyes were sparkling brightly with unshed tears, she handed baby Harry whom had fallen asleep a little while ago over to James, and went and hugged sixteen year old Harry tightly, before sitting back down quietly with the forlorn looking group from the past allowing Harry to continue reading.

**Dumbledore bowed his head. Professor McGonagall gasped.**

**"Lily and James ... I can't believe it ... I didn't want to believe it ... Oh, Albus ..."**

"See" said Sirius trying to cheer the group up a little "Minnie really does like you"

"Don't call me that Mr. Black" said McGonagall halfheartedly

**Dumbledore reached out and patted her on the shoulder. "I know ... I know ..." he said heavily.**

**Professor McGonagall's voice trembled as she went on. "That's not all. They're saying he tried to kill the Potter's son, Harry.**

Moony, Sirius, James and Lily all stared at Harry making him feel uncomfortable

**"But - he couldn't. He couldn't kill that little boy. No one knows why, or how, but they're saying that when he couldn't kill Harry Potter, Voldemort's power somehow broke - and that's why he's gone."**

**Dumbledore nodded glumly.**

**"It's - it's true?" faltered Professor McGonagall. "After all he's done ... all the people he's killed ... he couldn't kill a little boy? It's just astounding ...of all the things to stop him ... but how in the name of heaven did Harry survive?"**

"Yeah, how?" asked Moony weakly

**"We can only guess," said Dumbledore. "We may never know."**

"Do you know?" asked James

"I have a good idea yes" replied Dumbledore "Love" when everyone looked confused Dumbledore continued "Lily sacrificed herself trying to save Harry, and I believe that this sacrifice is what saved him"

"What about the prophecy you told us about Dumbledore?" Lily questioned weakly, Harry had gone extremely pale at the mention of the prophecy, and Remus had moved closer to Harry, rather concerned about his cub.

"To answer your question yes Harry is the one the prophecy refers to" answered Dumbledore gravely

"Albus what does it say" questioned Remus concerned about what it could say that would get this sort of reaction out of Harry "and wasn't it smashed in The Department of Mysteries in June?"

"Yes Remus it was, but that was only a recording, I originally witnessed it, and I told Harry that night after returning"

"Albus" McGonagall exclaimed rather shocked "don't you think that Harry was rather upset enough without you dropping the prophecy on him as well"

"Alas" answered Dumbledore sadly "I do, but I had to tell him sometime, he was rather angry enough with me, without me waiting to much longer to tell him"

"So what does it say" asked Remus again, comforting Harry who was trying his hardest not to cry at the mention of that fateful night in the department of mysteries a little over a month ago.

Dumbledore looked at Harry and asked gently "can I tell them Harry?" Harry nodded, not trusting himself to speak.

Dumbledore cleared his throat and recited "_THE ONE WITH THE POWER TO VANQUISH THE DARK LORD APPROACHES… BORN TO THOSE WHO HAVE THRICE DEFIED HIM, BORN AS THE SEVENTH MONTH DIES… AND THE DARK LORD WILL MARK HIM AS HIS EQUAL, BUT HE WILL HAVE POWER THE DARK LORD KNOWS NOT… AND EITHER MUST DIE AT THE HAND OF THE OTHER FOR NEITHER CAN LIVE WHILE THE OTHER SURVIVES… THE ONE WITH THE POWER TO VANQUISH THE DARK LORD WILL BE BORN AS THE SEVENTH MONTH DIES…"_

Most people were extremely pale, except for the Dursley's who couldn't care less what happened to Harry

"What a load of Codswallop" roared uncle Vernon, five minutes later Harry picked up the book and continued to read

**Professor McGonagall pulled out a lace handkerchief and dabbed at her eyes beneath her spectacles. Dumbledore gave a great sniff as he took out a watch from his pocket and examined it. It was a very odd watch. It had twelve hands but no numbers; instead, little planets were moving around the edge. It must have made sense to Dumbledore, though, because he put it back in his pocket and said, "Hagrid's late. I suppose it was he who told you I'd be here, by the way?"**

**"Yes," said Professor McGonagall. "And I don't suppose you're going to tell me why you're here, of all places?"**

**"I've come to bring Harry to his aunt and uncle.**

"WHAT" Lily and James roared angrily "we told you, we didn't want Harry anywhere near his aunt and uncle"

**They're the only family he has left now."**

**You don't mean - you can't mean the people who live here?" cried Professor McGonagall, jumping to her feet and pointing at number four. "Dumbledore - you can't."**

"Yeah" said Sirius "you tell him"

**I've been watching them all day. You couldn't find two people who are less like us. And they've got this son - I saw him kicking his mother all the way up the street, screaming for sweets. Harry Potter come and live here!"**

**"It's the best place for him," said Dumbledore firmly. "His aunt and uncle will be able to explain everything to him when he's older. I've written them a letter."**

"A letter?" asked Harry weakly "you could explain all that in a letter, besides it didn't stop them from lying to me for ten years"

"They did?" asked Tonks, Harry nodded and most people glared at the Dursley's angrily

**"A letter?" repeated Professor McGonagall faintly, sitting back down on the wall. "Really Dumbledore, you think you can explain all this in a letter? These people will never understand him!**

**He'll be famous - a legend - I wouldn't be surprised if today was known as Harry Potter Day in future - there will be books written about Harry - every child in our world will know his name!"**

"Yes" muttered Harry "I really don't like all the attention you know

**"Exactly," said Dumbledore, looking very seriously over the top of his half-moon glasses. "It would be enough to turn any boy's head. Famous before he can walk and talk! Famous for something he won't even remember! Can't you see how much better off he'll be, growing up away from all that until he's ready to take it?"**

"Yes but, they hate me" mumbled Harry, though Remus and Ginny were the only two to hear him, and both were looking rather concerned about that

**Professor McGonagall opened her mouth, changed her mind, swallowed and then said, "Yes - yes, you're right, of course. ****But how is the boy getting here Dumbledore?" ****She eyed his cloak suddenly as though she thought he might be hiding Harry underneath it.**

"Hagrid's bringing him."

**You think it - wise - to trust Hagrid with something as important as this?"**

**"I would trust Hagrid with my life," said Dumbledore.**

"So would I" almost everyone said

**"I'm not saying his heart isn't in the right place," said Professor McGonagall grudgingly, "but you can't pretend he's not careless. He does tend to - what was that?"**

"What was what?"asked Ron

**A low rumbling sound had broken the silence around them. It grew steadily louder as they looked up and down the street for some sign of a headlight; it swelled to a roar as they both looked up at the sky - and a huge motorbike fell out of the air and landed on the road in front of them.**

"Ooh that's mine" said Sirius acting much like a child would

**If the motorbike was huge, it was nothing to the man sitting astride it. He was almost twice as tall as a normal man and at least five times as wide. He looked simply too big to be allowed, and so wild - long tangles of bushy black hair and beard hid most of his face, he had hands the size of dustbin lids and his feet in their leather boots were like baby dolphins. In his vast muscular arms he was holding a bundle of blankets.**

**"Hagrid," said Dumbledore, sounding relieved. "At last. And where did you get that motorbike?"**

**"Borrowed it, Professor Dumbledore, sir," said the giant, climbing carefully off the motorbike as he spoke. "Young Sirius Black lent it me."**

**I've got him, sir."**

**"No problems, were there?"**

**"No, sir - house was almost destroyed but I got him out all right before the Muggles started swarmin' around. He fell asleep as we were flyin' over Bristol."**

**Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall bent forward over the bundle of blankets. Inside, just visible, was a baby boy, fast asleep. Under a tuft of jet-black hair over his forehead they could see a curiously shaped cut, like a bolt of lightning.**

"Stupid scar" Harry mumbled distractedly

**"Is that where - ?" whispered Professor McGonagall.**

**"Yes," said Dumbledore. "He'll have that scar for ever."**

**"Couldn't you do something about it, Dumbledore?"**

"Yeah couldn't you" asked Harry

**"Even if I could, I wouldn't. Scars can come in useful. I have one myself above my left knee which is a perfect map of the London Underground. **

"You do?" asked Hermione with a raised eyebrow.

Dumbledore nodded "I do but, that is a story for another time"

**Well - give him here, Hagrid - we'd better get this over with."**

**Dumbledore took Harry in his arms and turned towards the Dursleys' house.**

**"Could I - could I say goodbye to him, sir?" asked Hagrid.**

**He bent his great shaggy head over Harry and gave him what must have been a very scratchy, whiskery kiss.**

"Aww" cooed most of the females present

**Then, suddenly, Hagrid let out a howl like a wounded dog.**

**"Shhh!" hissed Professor McGonagall. "You'll wake the Muggles!"**

**"S-s-sorry," sobbed Hagrid, taking out a large spotted handkerchief and burying his face in it. "But I c-c-can't stand it - Lily an' James dead - an' poor little Harry off ter live with Muggles -"**

**"Yes, yes, it's all very sad, but get a grip on yourself, Hagrid, or we'll be found," Professor McGonagall whispered, patting Hagrid gingerly on the arm as Dumbledore stepped over the low garden wall and walked to the front door. He laid Harry gently on the doorstep, took a letter out of his cloak, tucked it inside Harry's blankets and then came back to the other two. For a full minute the three of them stood and looked at the little bundle; Hagrid's shoulders shook, Professor McGonagall blinked furiously and the twinkling light that usually shone from Dumbledore's eyes seemed to have gone out.**

**"Well," said Dumbledore finally, "that's that. We've no business staying here. We may as well go and join the celebrations."**

**Yeah," said Hagrid in a very muffled voice. "I'll be takin' Sirius his bike back. G'night, Professor McGonagall - Professor Dumbledore, sir."**

"Yes please do" said Sirius "and how come I didn't get Harry, and also why am I not with you guys"

"You didn't get Harry because you went after the one responsible for telling Voldemort James and Lily's location and were wrongly accused and sent to Azkaban" said Dumbledore because no one else trusted themselves to answer the question.

James, Lily, Sirius and Remus were rather pale, and James finally but rather shakily asked not wanting to believe it to be true "You m… mean Peter betrayed us" everyone else nodded gravely

"How come older me isn't here" asked Sirius again "you didn't answer that, I'm not still in Azkaban am I"

"No" answered Dumbledore "you're not still in Azkaban"

"Then where is he?" asked Lily

"Sirius" Remus spoke up though rather shakily "was killed by his cousin Bellatrix in June"

The timetravellers were all rather shocked at that and James eventually asked Harry to keep reading

**Wiping his streaming eyes on his jacket sleeve, Hagrid swung himself on to the motorbike and kicked the engine into life; with a roar it rose into the air and off into the night.**

**"I shall see you soon, I expect, Professor McGonagall," said Dumbledore, nodding to her. Professor McGonagall blew her nose in reply.**

**Dumbledore turned and walked back down the street. On the corner he stopped and took out the silver Put-Outer. He clicked it once and twelve balls of light sped back to their street lamps so that Privet Drive glowed suddenly orange and he could make out a tabby cat slinking around the corner at the other end of the street.**

**He could just see the bundle of blankets on the step of number four.  
"Good luck, Harry," he murmured. He turned on his heel and with a swish of his cloak he was gone.**

"Yeah like that helped" said Harry, everyone was looking at Harry now but he continued reading not having noticed that everyone else was looking at him.

**A breeze ruffled the neat hedges of Privet Drive, which lay silent and tidy under the inky sky, the very last place you would expect astonishing things to happen. Harry Potter rolled over inside his blankets without waking up. One small hand closed on the letter beside him and he slept on, not knowing he was special, not knowing he was famous, not knowing he would be woken in a few hours' time by Mrs. Dursley's scream as she opened the front door to put out the milk bottles, nor that he would spend the next few weeks being prodded and pinched by his cousin Dudley ...He couldn't know that at this very moment, people meeting in secret all over the country were holding up their glasses and saying in hushed voices: "To Harry Potter - the boy who lived!"**

"Ok that's the end of the Chapter" said Harry "Whose Next?"

"I will" volunteered Lily, Harry handed the book over to his mother.

**

* * *

**

**A/N:ok so that's Chapter two please review, and I'll get the next chapter up as soon as I can.**

**Padfoot-Moony-an-Prongs**


	3. The Vanishing Glass

_**CHAPTER TWO THE VANISHING GLASS**_

**Nearly ten years had passed since the Dursleys had woken up to find their nephew on the front step, but Privet Drive had hardly changed at all. The sun rose on the same tidy front gardens and lit up the brass number four on the Dursleys' front door; it crept into their living room, which was almost exactly the same as it had been on the night when Mr. Dursley had seen that fateful news report about the owls. Only the photographs on the mantelpiece really showed how much time had passed.**

**Ten years ago, there had been lots of pictures of what looked like a large pink beach ball wearing different-colored bobble hats - but Dudley Dursley was no longer a baby,** **and now the photographs showed a large, blond boy riding his first bicycle, on a roundabout at the fair, playing a computer game with his father,** **being hugged and kissed by his mother. The room held no sign at all that another boy lived in the house, too.**

"AND WHY NOT" yelled James threateningly

"BECAUSE WE HATE THE GOOD-FOR-NOTHING FREAK" roared Uncle Vernon

"DON'T YOU DARE CALL HARRY A FREAK" yelled just about everyone, their shouts were heard in the kitchen and Mrs. Weasley came out to investigate, she stopped still in shock as they took in the occupants of the room.

"What is going on in here" said Mrs. Weasley with her hands on her hips.

"Well" said McGonagall "This book appeared out of practically nowhere" Lily held the book up for them to see the title "and shortly after James, Lily, Sirius, a younger Remus and Baby Harry appeared they somehow managed to travel fifteen years through time" and pointing to the Dursley's "they appeared too we don't know why, but Albus won't take them home again and well we've been reading the book, and most people are less than pleased with what has been read so far"

"Hmm" said Mrs. Weasley interested "I think I'll stay, so what has been said so far" Albus filled her in on what happened.

**Yet Harry Potter was still there, asleep at the moment, but not for long. His Aunt Petunia was awake, and it was her shrill voice which made the first noise of the day.**

"Brilliant way to wake up" commented Ginny sarcastically

**"Up! Get up! Now!"** **Harry woke with a start. His aunt rapped on the door again.**

**"Up!" she screeched. Harry heard her walking towards the kitchen and then the sound of the frying pan being put on the cooker. He rolled on to his back and tried to remember the dream he had been having. It had been a good one. There had been a flying motorbike in it. He had a funny feeling he'd had the same dream before.**

"Except" said Hermione "it was real"

**His aunt was back outside the door.**

**"Are you up yet?" she demanded.**

**"Nearly," said Harry.**

**"Well, get a move on, I want you to look after the bacon. And don't you dare let it burn, I want everything perfect on Duddy's birthday."** **Harry groaned.**

**"What did you say?" his aunt snapped through the door.**

**"Nothing, nothing ..." Dudley's birthday - how could he have forgotten?**

"Quite easily actually" said Harry

**Harry got slowly out of bed and started looking for socks. He found a pair under his bed and, after pulling a spider off one of them, put them on. Harry was used to spiders, because the cupboard under the stairs was full of them, and that was where he slept.**

"WHAT" roared James and Lily angrily at the Dursley's "HOW DARE YOU?"

"WE ALREADY TOLD YOU" yelled Petunia "WE HATE THE BOY"

"That is no excuse" said Mrs. Weasley angrily, after everyone had calmed down, Lily continued reading

**When he was dressed he went down the hall into the kitchen. The table was almost hidden beneath all Dudley's birthday presents. It looked as though Dudley had got the new computer he wanted, not to mention the second television and the racing bike.**

**Exactly why Dudley wanted a racing bike was a mystery to Harry, as Dudley was very fat and hated exercise - unless of course it involved punching somebody. Dudley's favorite punch-bag was Harry, **

"AND WHAT HAS HARRY EVER DONE TO YOU" demanded Sirius angrily, glaring at Dudley, who was cowering behind his father.

**but he couldn't often catch him. Harry didn't look it, but he was very fast.** **Perhaps it had something to do with living in a dark cupboard, but Harry had always been small and skinny for his age.**

"Possibly" said James "but it also might be hereditary"

**He looked even smaller and skinnier than he really was because all he had to wear were old clothes of Dudley's and Dudley was about four times bigger than he was.**

"And you don't give Harry clothes that at least fit why?" growled Moony angrily

"BECAUSE HE IS A FREAK" thundered Uncle Vernon, waking Baby Harry, James and Lily glared angrily at Vernon while James calmed Harry down again.

**Harry had a thin face, knobbly knees, black hair and bright-green eyes.** **He wore round glasses held together by a lot of Sellotape because of all the times Dudley had punched him on the nose.**

"HOW DARE YOU HURT HARRY" yelled most present

"Just because you're to stupid to realise how nice harry is" Ginny added

**The only thing Harry liked about his appearance was a very thin scar on his forehead which was shaped like a bolt of lightning. He had had it as long as he could remember and the first ****question he could ever remember asking his aunt was how he had got it.**

**"In the car crash when your parents died,"**

"Don't lie to him" Tonks said angrily "he deserved the truth"

"THE FREAK DESERVES NOTHING" thundered Uncle Vernon

**she had said. "and don't ask questions."** **Don't ask questions - that was the first rule for a quiet life with the Dursleys. Uncle Vernon entered the kitchen as Harry was turning over the bacon.**

**"Comb your hair!" he barked, by way of a morning greeting.** **About once a week, Uncle Vernon looked over the top of his newspaper and shouted that Harry needed a haircut. Harry must have had more haircuts than the rest of the boys in his class put together, but it made no difference, his hair simply grew that way - all over the place.**

**Harry was frying eggs by the time Dudley arrived in the kitchen with his mother. Dudley looked a lot like Uncle Vernon. He had a large, pink face, not muck neck, small, watery blue eyes and thick, blond hair that lay smoothly on his thick, fat head. Aunt Petunia often said that Dudley looked like a baby angel - Harry often said that Dudley looked like a pig in a wig.**

Everyone laughed at that

"Nice one Harry" commented Fred

**Harry put the plates of egg and bacon on the table, which was difficult as there wasn't much room. Dudley meanwhile was counting his presents. His face fell.**

**"Thirty-six," he said, looking up at his mother and father. "That's two less than last year."**

"Bet Harry get's nothing" said George glaring at the Dursley's

"Yes" said Harry in answer to George, causing everyone to glare in at the Dursley's as well.

**"Darling, you haven't counted Auntie Marge's present, see, it's here under this big one from Mummy and Daddy."**

"Auntie Marge hey" questioned Ron "isn't that the one you inflated?"

"Err… yes" said Harry causing quite a few people to laugh

**"All right then, thirty-seven then," said Dudley, going red in the face.**

**Harry, who could see a huge Dudley tantrum coming on, began wolfing down his bacon as fast as possible in case Dudley turned the table over.**

**Aunt Petunia obviously scented danger too, because she said quickly, "And we'll buy you another **_**two**_** presents while we're out today. How's that popkin? **_**Two**_** more presents. Is that all right?"**

"Spoiled brat" said Ginny

**Dudley thought for a moment. It looked like hard work.**

"Probably was" said Fred and George, the Dursley's glared angrily at them

**Finally he said slowly, "So I'll have thirty ... thirty ..."**

Everyone shook their heads in disbelief, and Lily said what they were all thinking "Eleven years old and can't even add two to thirty seven"

**"Thirty nine, sweetums," said Aunt Petunia.**

**"Oh." Dudley sat down heavily and grabbed the nearest parcel. "All right then."**

**Uncle Vernon chuckled. "Little tyke wants his money's worth, just like his father. Atta boy, Dudley!" He ruffled Dudley's hair**.

**At that moment the telephone rang** **and Aunt Petunia went to answer it while Harry and Uncle Vernon watched Dudley unwrap the racing bike, a cine-camera, a remote control airplane, sixteen new computer games and a video recorder. He was ripping the paper off a gold wristwatch when Aunt Petunia came back from the telephone, looking both angry and worried.**

**"Bad news, Vernon," she said. "Mrs. Figg's broken her leg. She can't take him." She jerked her head in Harry's direction.**

"His name is Harry" said Ron "H.A.R.R.Y"

**Dudley's mouth fell open in horror but Harry's heart gave a leap. Every year on Dudley's birthday his parents took him and a friend to, adventure parks, hamburger bars or the cinema. Every year, Harry was left behind with Mrs. Figg, a mad old lady who lived two streets away.**

"Mad, hey?" questioned Remus rather amused "Wonder what Arabella would think of that?"

"What do you mean every year he's left behind" demanded Mrs. Weasley angrily "He's your nephew"

**Harry hated it there. The whole house smelled of cabbage and Mrs. Figg made him look at all the cats she'd ever owned.**

"I thought you didn't mind cats?" asked Hermione

"I don't" answered Harry "but it did get kind of boring"

**"Now what?" said Aunt Petunia, looking furiously at Harry as though he'd planned this.** **Harry knew he ought to feel sorry that Mrs. Figg had broken her leg, but it wasn't easy when he reminded himself it would be a whole year before he had to look at Tibbles, Snowy, My Paws and Tufty again.**

"Interesting names" commented Ginny

**"We could phone Marge," Uncle Vernon suggested.**

**"Don't be silly Vernon, she hates the boy."**

"What's new" said Harry "she's always hated me"

**The Dursleys often spoke about Harry like this, as though he wasn't there - or rather, as though he was something very nasty that couldn't understand them, like a slug.**

"Disgusting" muttered Tonks "you don't care about your nephew at all"

"Albus" said McGonagall "you can't send Harry back there again, it's obvious they hate him" Albus nodded his head in agreement

**"What about what's-her-name, your friend - Yvonne?"**

**"On holiday in Majorca," snapped Aunt Petunia.**

**"You could just leave me here," Harry put in hopefully (he'd be able to watch what he wanted on television for a change and maybe even have a go on Dudley's computer.)**

"What's a computer" asked Tonks curiously

"You can play games amongst many other things on them" said Lily

**Aunt Petunia looked as though she'd just swallowed a lemon.**

"Good" said Ginny "maybe you should" the Dursley's glared at her, whilst everyone else was looking at her amusedly.

**"And come back and find the house in ruins?" she snarled.**

**"I won't blow up the house," said Harry, but they weren't listening.**

**"I suppose we could take him to the zoo," said Aunt Petunia slowly, "... and leave him in the car ..."**

**"That car's new, he's not sitting in it alone ..."**

"What did they do in the end?" asked Dumbledore curiously

"They took me to the Zoo with them in the end" answered Harry

**Dudley began to cry loudly.** **In fact he wasn't really crying, it had been years since he'd really cried, but he knew that if he screwed up his face and wailed, his mother would give him anything he wanted.**

**"Dinky Duddydums,** **don't cry, Mummy won't let him spoil your special day!" she cried, flinging her arms around him.**

Most people were rather amused at Dudley's nickname.

"Dinky duddydums" chortled the Twins "that's brilliant, we love it"

**"I ... don't ... want ... him ... t-t-to come!" Dudley yelled between huge pretend sobs. "He always sp-spoils everything!" He shot Harry a nasty grin through the gap in his mother's arms.**

**Just then, the doorbell rang - "Oh, Good Lord, they're here!" said Aunt Petunia frantically - and a moment later, Dudley's best friend Piers Polkiss, walked in with his mother.**

**Piers was a scrawny boy with a face like a rat.** **He was usually the one who held people's arms behind their backs while Dudley hit them.**

"Charming child he is" commented Sirius, everyone nodded their agreement

**Dudley stopped pretending to cry at once.** **Half an hour later, Harry, who couldn't believe his luck, was sitting in the back of the Dursleys' car with Piers and Dudley, on the way to the zoo for the first time in his life.** **His aunt and uncle hadn't been able to think of anything else to do with him, but before they'd left, Uncle Vernon had taken Harry aside.**

**"I'm warning you," he had said, putting his large purple face right up close to Harry's,** **I'm warning you now, boy -** **any funny business, anything at all - and you'll be in that cupboard from now until Christmas."**

**"I'm not going to do anything," said Harry, "honestly ..."** **But Uncle Vernon didn't believe him. No ever did. The problem was, strange things often happened around Harry and it was just no good telling the Dursleys he didn't make them happen.**

"They better not have punished you for accidental magic" growled James dangerously

"They did" said Harry "a few times anyway" the Dursley's were hit with a variety of jinxes' and hexes from various people, before Lily continued reading

**Once, Aunt Petunia, tired of Harry coming back from the barber's looking as though he hadn't been at all, had taken a pair of scissors and cut his hair so short he was almost bald except for his fringe, which she left 'to hide that horrible scar'.** **Dudley laughed himself silly at Harry, who spent a sleepless night imagining school the next day, where he was already laughed at for his baggy clothes and his Sellotaped glasses. Next morning, however, he had got up to find his hair exactly as it had been before Aunt Petunia had sheared it off.**

Tonks was looking at Harry curiously, wondering whether Harry may be a Metamorphmagus

**He had been given a week in his cupboard for this,** **even though he had tried to explain that he couldn't explain how it had grown back so quickly.**

"I still don't know how it did" commented Harry

**Another time, Aunt Petunia had been trying to force him into a revolting old jumper of Dudley's (brown with orange bobbles). The harder she tried to pull it over his head, the smaller it seemed to become, until finally it might have fitted a glove puppet, but certainly wouldn't fit Harry.**

"Go Harry" most people stated

**Aunt Petunia had decided it must have shrunk in the wash and, to his great relief, Harry wasn't punished.**

"Well at least he wasn't punished for that one" said Hermione, everyone else nodded their agreement

**On the other hand, he'd got into terrible trouble for being found on the roof of the school kitchens.** **Dudley's gang had been chasing him as usual** **when, as much to Harry's surprise as anyone else's, there he was sitting on the chimney.**

Everyone was slightly amused at the fact that Harry managed to find himself on the roof, but were glaring annoyed at Dudley.

"That's pretty strong accidental magic" said Dumbledore

"It is?" questioned Harry, Dumbledore nodded, and Lily continued reading

**The Dursley's had received a very angry letter from Harry's headmistress telling them Harry had been climbing school buildings. But all he tried to do (as he shouted at Uncle Vernon through the locked door of his cupboard) **

"Locked" growled Remus "How dare you lock him in, he shouldn't have been in there to begin with but locking it makes it worse Dursley"

"WE DON"T CARE WHAT YOU FREAKS THINK" shouted Uncle Vernon

**was jump behind the big bins outside the kitchen doors. Harry supposed that the wind must have caught him in mid-jump.**

**But today, nothing was going to go wrong. It was even worth being with Dudley and Piers to be spending the day somewhere that wasn't school, his cupboard or Mrs. Figg's cabbage-smelling living-room.**

**While he drove, Uncle Vernon complained to Aunt Petunia. He liked to complain about things: people at work, Harry, the council, Harry, the bank and Harry were just a few of his favorite subjects. **

"Sure complains about Harry a lot" said Tonks glaring at the Dursley's

**This morning, it was motorbikes. "... roaring along like maniacs, the young hoodlums," he said, as a motorbike overtook them.**

**"I had a dream about a motorbike," said Harry, remembering suddenly. "It was flying."**

"Why oh why did I have to say that" muttered Harry

**Uncle Vernon nearly crashed into the car in front. He turned right around in his seat and yelled at Harry, his face like a gigantic beetroot with a moustache, "MOTORBIKES DON'T FLY!"**

**Dudley and Piers snickered.**

**"I know they don't," said Harry. **"**It was only a dream."**

**But he wished he hadn't said anything. If there was one thing the Dursleys hated more than his asking questions, it was his talking about anything acting in a way it shouldn't, no matter if it was in a dream or even in a cartoon - they seemed to think he might get dangerous ideas.**

"Oh yes" said Sirius sarcastically "because imaginations give everyone dangerous ideas"

**It was a very sunny Saturday and the zoo was crowded with people. The Dursleys bought Dudley and Piers large chocolate ice-creams at the entrance and then,** **because the smiling lady in the van had asked Harry what he wanted before they could hurry him away, they bought him a cheap lemon ice lolly.**

**It wasn't bad either, Harry thought, licking it as they watched a gorilla scratching its head and looking remarkably like Dudley, except that it wasn't blond.**

Almost everyone laughed at that, and the Dursley's looked as if they were going to explode with rage, so Dumbledore cast silencing charms on them.

**Harry had the best morning he'd had in a long time. He was careful to walk a little way apart from the Dursleys** **so that Dudley and Piers, who were starting to get bored with the animals by lunchtime, wouldn't fall back on their favorite hobby of hitting him.**

"Smart move Harry" commented Ron

**They ate in the zoo restaurant and when Dudley had a tantrum because his knickerbockers glory wasn't big enough, Uncle Vernon bought him another one and Harry was allowed to finish the first.**

"That was unusually nice of him" said Lily

**Harry felt, afterwards, that he should have known it was all too good to last.**

"Why what happened?" asked Remus,

"Wait and see" said Harry shaking his head but smiling.

**After lunch they went to the reptile house.** **It was cool and dark in here, with lit windows all along the walls. Behind the glass, all sorts of lizards and snakes were crawling and slithering over bits of wood and stone.** **Dudley and Piers wanted to see huge, poisonous cobras and thick, man-crushing pythons. Dudley quickly found the largest snake in the place.** **It could have wrapped its body twice around Uncle Vernon's car, and crushed it into a dustbin -** **but at the moment it didn't look in the mood.**

"Aww" whined George "it should"

"Wait" said Ron suddenly realising something "is that where you …" but Harry cut him off

"Yes it is" and left it at that

**In fact, it was fast asleep.** **Dudley stood with his nose pressed against the glass, staring at the glistening brown coils**.

**"Make it move," he whined at his father. Uncle Vernon tapped on the glass, but the snake didn't budge.**

**"Do it again," Dudley ordered**, **Uncle Vernon rapped the glass smartly with his knuckles, but the snake just snoozed on.**

**"This is boring," Dudley moaned. He shuffled away.**

**Harry moved in front of the tank and looked intently at the snake. He wouldn't have been surprised if it had died of boredom itself - no company except people drumming their fingers on the glass trying to disturb it all day long. It was worse than having a cupboard for a bedroom, where the only visitor was Aunt Petunia hammering on the door to wake you up - at least he got to visit the rest of the house.**

"Never anything else though" said Harry bitterly

**The snake suddenly opened its beady eyes. Slowly, very slowly, it raised its head until its eyes were level with Harry's. It winked.**

"O…Okay" said Lily confused "That's different"

**Harry stared. Then he looked quickly around to see if anyone was watching. They weren't. He looked back at the snake and winked, too.**

**The snake jerked its head towards Uncle Vernon and Dudley, then raised its eyes to the ceiling. It gave Harry a look that said quite plainly: "I get that all the time."**

"Are you a Parselmouth?" questioned Sirius

"Yes" said Harry "Dumbledore reckons that when Voldemort's failed in Killing me, he unintentionally transferred some of his powers to me" James, Lily, Sirius and Moony nodded accepting this explanation.

**"I know," Harry murmured through the glass, though he wasn't sure the snake could hear him. "It must be really annoying."**

**The snake nodded vigorously. "Where do you come from, anyway?" Harry asked.** **The snake jabbed its tail at a little sign next to the glass. Harry peered at it.**

**Boa Constrictor, Brazil.**

**"Was it nice there?"**

**The boa constrictor jabbed its tail at the sign again and Harry read on: This specimen was bred in the zoo. "Oh, I see - so you've never been to Brazil?"**

**As the snake shook its head, a deafening shout behind Harry made both of them jump.**

**"DUDLEY! MR DURSLEY! COME AND LOOK AT THIS SNAKE! YOU WON'T BELIEVE WHAT IT'S DOING!"**

**Dudley came waddling towards them as fast as he could. "Out of the way, you," he said, punching Harry in the ribs.** **Caught by surprise, Harry fell hard on the concrete floor. **

"Leave Harry alone" said Mrs. Weasley angrily

**What came next happened so fast no one saw how it happened - one second, Piers and Dudley were leaning right up close to the glass, the next, they had leapt back with howls of horror.** **Harry sat up and gasped; the glass front of the boa constrictor's tank had vanished.**

Everyone was slightly amused by that

"Good one Harry" commented Fred and George

**The great snake was uncoiling itself rapidly, slithering out on to the floor - people throughout the reptile house screamed and started running for the exits.** **as the snake slid swiftly past him, Harry could have sworn a low, hissing voice said, " Brazil, here I come ... Thanksss, amigo."** **The keeper of the reptile house was in shock.**

**"But the glass," he kept saying, "where did the glass go?"**

"Um it vanished" said Harry earning amused looks from everyone else

**The zoo director himself made Aunt Petunia a cup of strong sweet tea while he apologized over and over again. Piers and Dudley could only gibber. As far as Harry had seen, the snake hadn't done anything except snap playfully at their heels as it passed, but by the time they were all back in uncle Vernon's car, Dudley was telling them how it had nearly bitten off his leg,**

"Maybe it should have" said Fred

Harry shook his head "Don't say that Fred as much as I dislike my cousin, I wouldn't wish any harm on him"

**while Piers was swearing it had tried to squeeze him to death.**

**But, worst of all, for Harry at least, was Piers calming down enough to say, "Harry was talking to it, weren't you, Harry?"**

"Idiot" said Ron "now you'll get Harry into trouble"

**Uncle Vernon waited until Piers was safely out of the house before starting on Harry. He was so angry he could hardly speak. He managed to say, "Go - cupboard - stay - no meals,"** **before he collapsed into a chair and Aunt Petunia had to run and get him a large brandy.**

"YOU BETTER NOT HAVE STARVED HARRY" yelled James and Lily angrily

**Harry lay in his dark cupboard much later, wishing he had a watch. He didn't know what time it was and he couldn't be sure the Dursleys were asleep yet. Until they were, he couldn't risk sneaking in to the kitchen for some food. He'd lived with the Dursleys almost ten years, ten miserable years, as long as he could remember, ever since he'd been a baby and his parents had died.**

**Sometimes, when he strained his memory during long hours in his cupboard, he came up with a strange vision: a blinding flash of green light and a burning pain on his forehead.**

Everyone had paled slightly

"Merlin" breathed James rather shakily "Harry survived the killing curse" Harry nodded "and you actually remember that"

"Yes" said Harry "and thanks to dementors' I remember more than that" those who didn't already know were rather shocked by that, after a few minutes Lily picked up the book and continued reading.

**This, he supposed, was the crash, though he couldn't imagine where the green light came from.**

**He couldn't remember his parents at all.**

Everyone was looking at Harry sadly, and a lone tear made its way down Lily's and James cheeks.

**His aunt and uncle never spoke about them, and of course he was forbidden to ask questions. There were no photographs of them in the house.**

**When he had been younger, Harry had dreamed and dreamed of some unknown relation coming to take him away, but it had never happened; the Dursleys were his only family.**

**Yet sometimes he thought (or maybe hoped) that strangers in the street seemed to know him. Very strange strangers they were, too.**

"Witches and Wizards actually" said Ginny

**A tiny man in a violet top hat had bowed to him once while out shopping with Aunt Petunia and Dudley. After asking Harry furiously if he knew the man, Aunt Petunia had rushed them out of the shop without buying anything. A wild-looking woman dressed in all green waved merrily at him once on a bus. A bald man in a very long purple cloak had actually shaken his hand in the street the other day then walked away without another word. The weirdest thing about all these people was the way they seemed to vanish the second Harry tried to get a closer look.**

**At school, Harry had no one. Everybody knew that Dudley's gang hated that odd Harry Potter in his baggy old clothes and broken glasses, and nobody liked to disagree with Dudley's gang.**

"That's it" said Lily "whose wants the next chapter"

Remus decided to read next and took the offered book off of Lily

**

* * *

**

A/N: that's chapter three, please tell me what you thought, and I'll try to get the next chapter up as soon as possible.

**Padfoot-Moony-an-Prongs**


	4. The Letters From No One

_**CHAPTER THREE THE LETTERS FROM NO ONE**_

"How can you have letters from no one?" asked Ron

**The escape of the Brazilian boa constrictor earned Harry his longest-ever punishment. By the time he was allowed out of his cupboard again, the summer holidays had started **

Everyone glared at the Dursley's but Remus continued reading

**and Dudley had already broken his new cine-camera, crashed his remote-control aeroplane and, first time on his racing bike, knocked down old Mrs. Figg as she crossed Privet Drive on her crutches.**

"Poor, Mrs. Figg" said Hermione

**Harry was glad school was over, but there was no escaping Dudley's gang, who visited the house every single day. Piers, Dennis, Malcolm and Gordon were all big and stupid, but as Dudley was the biggest and stupidest of the lot, he was the leader.**

"Because that makes lots of sense" commented Ginny, everyone nodded in agreement

"I am not stupid" Dudley replied angrily, and glaring at everyone else daring them to object

**The rest of them were quite happy to join in Dudley's favourite sport: Harry-hunting.**

**This was why Harry spent as much time as possible out of the house, wandering around thinking about the end of the holidays, where he could see a tiny ray of hope. When September came he would be going off to secondary school and, for the first time in his life, he wouldn't be with Dudley. Dudley had a place at Uncle Vernon's old school, Smeltings, Piers Polkiss was going there, too. Harry, on the other hand, was going to Stonewall High, the local comprehensive. Dudley thought this was very funny.**

**"They stuff people's heads down the toilet first day at Stonewall," he told Harry. "Want to come upstairs and practice?"**

**"No thanks," said Harry. "The poor toilet's never had anything as horrible as your head down it - it might be sick."** **Then he ran for it before Dudley could work out what he'd said.**

Everyone laughed at that

**One day in July, Aunt Petunia took Dudley to London to buy his Smeltings uniform, leaving Harry at Mrs. Figg's. Mrs. Figg wasn't as bad as usual. It turned out she'd broken her leg tripping over one her cats and she didn't seem quite as fond of them as before. She let Harry watch television and gave him a bit of chocolate cake that tasted as though she'd had it for several years.**

**That evening, Dudley paraded around the living-room for the family in his brand-new uniform. Smeltings boys wore maroon tailcoats, orange knickerbockers and flat straw hats called boaters. They also carried knobbly sticks, used for hitting each other while the teachers weren't looking. This was supposed to be good training for later life.**

"I doubt that" commented Lily, everyone else agreeded

**As he looked at Dudley in his new knickerbockers, Uncle Vernon said gruffly that it was the proudest moment of his life. Aunt Petunia burst into tears and said she couldn't believe her Ickle Dudleykins,**

Everyone was amused by Dudley's nickname

**he looked so handsome and grown-up.**

"Hardly" commented Harry "it looked pretty stupid to me"

"Does not" said Dudley angrily

**Harry didn't trust himself to speak. He thought two of his ribs might already have cracked from trying not to laugh.**

**There was a horrible smell in the kitchen the next morning when Harry went for breakfast. It seemed to be coming from a large metal tub in the sink. He went to have a look. The tub was full of what looked like dirty rags swimming in grey water**.

**"What's this?" he asked Aunt Petunia. Her lips tightened as they always did if he dared to ask a question.**

**"Your new school uniform," she said.**

"My son" said Lily glaring at the Dursley's "is not wearing those rags, though he goes to Hogwarts anyway"

**Harry looked in the bowl again.**

**"Oh," he said. "I didn't realise it had to be so wet."**

A few people were looking slightly amused, and Remus continued reading

**"Don't be stupid," snapped aunt Petunia. "I'm dyeing some of Dudley's old things grey for you. It'll look like everyone else's when I've finished."**

"I doubt that" commented Remus

"It did look rather strange" said Harry agreeing

**Harry seriously doubted this, but thought it best not to argue. He sat down at the table and tried not to think about how he was going to look on his first day at Stonewall High - like he was wearing bits of old elephant skin, probably.**

"Probably" agreed everyone else

**Dudley and Uncle Vernon came in, both with wrinkled noses because of the smell from Harry's new uniform. Uncle Vernon opened his newspaper as usual and Dudley banged his Smeltings stick, which he carried everywhere, on the table.**

**They heard the click of the letter-box and flop of letters on the doormat.**

**"Get the post, Dudley," said Uncle Vernon from behind his paper.**

"At least Dudley does something" Commented Sirius

**"Make Harry get it."**

**"Get the post, Harry."**

**"Make Dudley get it."**

**"Poke him with your Smeltings stick, Dudley."**

**Harry dodged the Smeltings stick and went to get the post. three things lay on the doormat: a postcard from Uncle Vernon's sister Marge, who was holidaying on the Isle of Wight, a brown envelope that looked like a bill and - a letter for Harry. Harry picked it up and stared at it, his heart twanging like a giant elastic band.**

"What's an elastic band?" asked Ginny confused

"They're bands made of rubber usually, that muggles use to hold things together" explained Hermione

"Ok then" replied Ginny still slightly confused

**No one, ever, in his whole life, had written to him. Who would? He had no friends, no other relatives - he didn't belong to the library so he'd never even got rude notes asking for books back. Yet, here it was, a letter, addressed so plainly there could be no mistake:**

**Mr. H. Potter  
the Cupboard under the Stairs  
4 Privet Drive  
Little Whinging  
Surrey**

Lily turned to Dumbledore angrily "His Hogwarts letter is addressed with the cupboard under the stairs, and you didn't think that you should at least investigate" everyone else nodded agreeing with Lily.

"I didn't know" replied Dumbledore sadly

"Well somebody had to write the letter" said Remus, before continuing reading

**The envelope was thick and heavy, made of yellowish parchment, and the address was written in emerald-green ink. There was no stamp.**

"What's a stamp?" asked Ron

"Little square bits of paper, which Muggles stick to envelopes when they send letters" explained Lily

**Turning the envelope over, his hand trembling, Harry saw a purple wax seal bearing a coat of arms; a lion, an eagle, a badger and a snake surrounding a large letter 'H'.**

**"Hurry up, boy!" shouted Uncle Vernon from the kitchen. "What are you doing, checking for letter-bombs?" He chuckled at his own joke.** **Harry went back to the kitchen, still staring at his letter. He handed Uncle Vernon the bill and the postcard, sat down and slowly began to open the yellow envelope.** **Uncle Vernon ripped open the bill, snorted in disgust and flipped over the postcard.**

**"Marge's ill," he informed Aunt Petunia. "Ate a funny whelk ..."**

**"Dad!" said Dudley suddenly. "Dad, Harry's got something!"**

"That's right" the Twins said sarcastically "get Harry into trouble"

**Harry was on the point of unfolding his letter, which was written on the same heavy parchment as the envelope, when it was jerked sharply out of his hand by Uncle Vernon.**

**"That's mine!" said Harry, trying to snatch it back.** **His face went from red to green faster than a set of traffic lights. And it didn't stop there. Within seconds it was the greyish white of old porridge.**

**"Who'd be writing to you?" sneered Uncle Vernon, shaking the letter open with one hand and glancing at it.**

**"P-P-Petunia!" he gasped. Dudley tried to grab the letter to read it,** **but Uncle Vernon held it high out of his reach. Aunt Petunia took it curiously and read the first line.**

**For a moment it looked as though she might faint.**

**She clutched her throat and made a choking noise.**

**" Vernon! Oh my goodness - Vernon!"**

**They stared at each other, seeming to have forgotten that Harry and Dudley were still in the room. Dudley wasn't used to being ignored. He gave his father a sharp tap on the head with his Smeltings stick.**

**"I want to read that letter," he said loudly.**

**"I want to read it," said Harry furiously, "as it's mine."**

"Yeah, you tell them Harry" said Sirius

**"Get out both of you," croaked Uncle Vernon, stuffing the letter back inside its envelope.  
Harry didn't move.**

**"I WANT MY LETTER!" he shouted.**

"Yeah give Harry his letter" yelled everyone at the Dursley's

**"Let me see it!" demanded Dudley.**

**"OUT!" roared Uncle Vernon, and he took both Harry and Dudley by the scruffs of their necks and threw them into the hall, slamming the kitchen door behind them.** **Harry and Dudley promptly had a furious but silent fight over who would listen at the keyhole; Dudley won,** **So Harry, his glasses dangling from one ear, lay flat on his stomach to listen at the crack between the door and the floor.**

**"Vernon," Aunt Petunia was saying in a quivering voice, "look at the address - how could they possibly know where he sleeps? You don't think they're watching the house?"**

**"Watching - spying - might be following us," muttered Uncle Vernon wildly.**

"Well we weren't then" replied McGonagall

"YOU"VE BEEN SPYING ON US" roared Uncle Vernon angrily

"Not exactly" replied Remus "the Order only watch the house when Harry's there, to make sure that no one attacks him" the Dursley's were glaring angrily at everyone

**"But what should we do, Vernon? Should we write back? Tell them we don't want -"** **Harry could see Uncle Vernon's shiny shoes pacing up and down the kitchen.**

**"No," he said finally. "No, we'll ignore it. If they don't get an answer ... yes, that's best ... we won't do anything ..."**

**"But -"**

**"I'm not having one in the house, Petunia! Didn't we swear when we took him in we'd stamp out all that dangerous nonsense?"**

"Stamp out" demanded James, Lily, Sirius, Remus, Moony and Mrs. Weasley angrily at the same time

"Dangerous nonsense" said the Twins, eventually everyone calmed down enough for Remus to continue reading

**That evening when he got back from work, Uncle Vernon did something he'd never done before; he visited Harry in his cupboard.**

"Does he even fit?" asked George, obviously remembering the size of it from when he retrieved Harry's stuff from it 4 years ago

"No not really" replied Harry

**"Where's my letter?" said Harry, the moment Uncle Vernon had squeezed through the door.**

**"Who's writing to me?"**

**"No one. It was addressed to you by mistake," said Uncle Vernon shortly. "I have burned it."**

"BURNED IT" yelled James and Lily angrily, everyone glared angrily at the Dursley's

**"It was not a mistake," said Harry angrily. "It had my cupboard on it."**

"Yeah you tell him Harry" cheered Ron

**"SILENCE!" yelled Uncle Vernon, and a couple of spiders fell from the ceiling. He took a few deep breaths and then forced** **his face into a smile, which looked quite painful.**

"Probably was" said Fred earning glares from the Dursley's

"**Er – yes, Harry – about this cupboard. Your aunt and I have been thinking...you're really getting a bit big for it … we think it might be nice if you moved into Dudley's second bedroom."**

"Second bedroom" growled Remus angrily "your son get's two bedroom's and Harry gets a cupboard that hardly fits anything let alone a child, and your own Nephew at that" shaking his head Remus continued "you really shouldn't get a werewolf angry this close to the full moon you know" Moony was looking extremely pale, Remus noticing this added "They all know, well except the Dursley's that is" Moony nodded slightly hesitantly

"Werewolf" squeaked Dudley obviously frightened, inching further away

"Yes werewolf and you really don't want to make me mad" said Remus before continuing to read

**"Why?" said Harry.**

"Don't question it Harry" said Hermione shaking her head "just accept it"

"I just wanted to know why they were doing it" said Harry "if it involves them doing something nice for me then there almost always is a ulterior motive behind it" everyone glared at the Dursley's.

**"Don't ask questions!" snapped his uncle. "Take this stuff upstairs, now."**

**The Dursleys' house had four bedrooms: **

"Four bedrooms" demanded Lily angrily "and Harry sleeps in a cupboard"

"WE WERE NOT GOING TO HAVE THAT FREAK IN ONE OF THE BEDROOMS" roared Uncle Vernon earning glares from everyone else, after a few minutes Remus continued reading.

**one for Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia, one for visitors (usually Uncle Vernon's sister, Marge), one where Dudley slept and one where Dudley kept all the toys and things that wouldn't fit into Dudley's first bedroom.**

**It only took Harry one trip upstairs to move everything he owned from the cupboard into his room. He sat down on the bed and stared around him.**

**Nearly everything in here was broken. the month-old cine-camera was lying on top of a small, working tank Dudley had once driven over next door's dog; in the corner was Dudley's first-ever television set, which he'd put his foot through when his favourite programme had been cancelled; there was a large birdcage which had once held a parrot that Dudley had swapped at school for a real air-rifle, which was up on a shelf with the end all bent because Dudley had sat on it.**

There were a few chuckles at that.

**Other shelves were full of books. They were the only things in the room that looked as if they hadn't been touched before.**

"That" said Harry "would be because they haven't, well by the Dursley's at least anyway"

**From downstairs came the sound of Dudley bawling at his mother: "I don't want him in there ... I need that room ... make him get out ..."**

"Yes" said Ginny "because you're a spoiled Brat" a few people nodded in agreement

**Harry sighed and stretched out on the bed. Yesterday he'd have given anything to be up here. Today he'd rather be back in his cupboard with that letter than up here without it.**

**Next morning at breakfast, everyone was rather quiet. Dudley was in shock. He'd screamed, whacked his father with his Smeltings stick, been sick on purpose, kicked his mother and thrown his tortoise through the greenhouse roof and he still didn't have his room back.**

"Poor tortoise" commented Hermione

**Harry was thinking about this time yesterday and bitterly wishing he'd opened the letter in the hall. **

"Yes" said Harry "I probably should have"

**Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia kept looking at each other darkly.** **When the post arrived, Uncle Vernon, who seemed to be trying to be nice to Harry, made Dudley go and get it.**

**They heard him banging things with his Smeltings stick all the way down the hall. Then he shouted, "There's another one! Mr. H. Potter, The Smallest Bedroom, 4 Privet Drive -"**

**With a strangled cry, Uncle Vernon leapt from his seat and ran down the hall, Harry right behind him. Uncle Vernon had to wrestle Dudley to the ground to get the letter from him, which was made difficult by the fact that Harry had grabbed Uncle Vernon around the neck from behind.**

"Go Harry" cheered the twins

**After a minute of confused fighting, in which everyone got hit a lot by the Smeltings stick, Uncle Vernon straightened up, gasping for breath, with Harry's letter clutched in his hand**. **Go to your cupboard - I mean, your bedroom," he wheezed at Harry. "Dudley - go - just go."**

**Harry walked round and round his room. Someone knew he had moved out of his cupboard and they seemed to know he hadn't received his first letter. Surely that meant they'd try again? And this time he'd make sure they didn't fail. He had a plan.**

"Didn't work particularly well" stated Harry "but it was a good idea at the time" Uncle Vernon was glaring at Harry angrily.

**The repaired alarm clock rang at six o'clock the next morning. Harry turned it off quickly and dressed silently. He mustn't wake the Dursleys. He stole downstairs without turning on any of the lights.** **He was going to wait for the postman on the corner of Privet Drive and get the letters for number four first.**

**His heart hammered as he crept across the dark hall towards the front door -**

**"AAAAARRRGH!"**

"Huh?" questioned Ron bewildered "what happened?"

Harry grinned slightly "You'll see"

**Harry leapt into the air - he'd trodden on something big and squashy on the doormat - something alive!**

**Lights clicked on upstairs and to his horror Harry realised that the big squashy something had been his uncle's face. **

"Yay go Harry" chorused Ginny, Ron, Fred and George

**Uncle Vernon had been lying at the foot of the front door in a sleeping bag, clearly making sure that Harry didn't do exactly what he'd been trying to do.**

**He shouted at Harry for about half an hour and then told him to go and make a cup of tea. Harry shuffled miserably off into the kitchen, and by the time he got back, the post had arrived, right into Uncle Vernon's lap. Harry could see three letters addressed in green ink.**

**"I want -" he began, but Uncle Vernon was tearing the letters into pieces before his eyes.**

Everyone was glaring at the Dursley's

**Uncle Vernon didn't go to work that day. He stayed at home and nailed up the letter-box.**

"**See," he explained to Aunt Petunia through a mouthful of nails, "if they can't deliver, they'll just give up."**

"Oh yes" said Harry "and that worked real well didn't it"

"Wait" said Hermione "mouthful of nails?"

"Yes" said Harry

**"I'm not sure that'll work, Vernon."**

**"Oh, these people's minds work in strange ways, Petunia, they're not like you and me," said Uncle Vernon, trying to knock in a nail with the piece of fruit cake Aunt Petunia had just brought him.**

"Show's what he thinks of her cooking" commented Sirius

**On Friday, no fewer than twelve letters arrived for Harry. As they couldn't go through the letter-box they had been pushed under the door, slotted through the sides and a few even forced through the small window in the downstairs toilet.**

**Uncle Vernon stayed at home again.**

**After burning all the letters, he got out a hammer and nails and boarded up the cracks around the front and back doors so no one could go out. He hummed 'Tiptoe through the Tulips' as he worked, and jumped at small noises.**

"A little jumpy aren't you?" asked Tonks as the Dursley's glared at her

**On Saturday, things began to get out of hand. Twenty-four letters to Harry found their way into the house, rolled up and hidden inside each of the two dozen eggs that their very confused milkman had handed Aunt Petunia through the living-room window. **

"Wow" exclaimed Fred and George "exactly how many letters did you receive?"

Harry shrugged "I don't know, I eventually lost count"

**While Uncle Vernon made furious telephone calls to the post office and the dairy trying to find someone to complain to, Aunt Petunia shredded the letters in her food mixer.**

**"Who on earth wants to talk to you this badly?" Dudley asked Harry in amazement.**

**On Sunday morning, Uncle Vernon sat down at the breakfast table looking tired and rather ill, but happy.**

**"No post on Sunday's," he reminded them happily as he spread marmalade on his newspapers,**

"Marmalade?" exclaimed Ron "on his newspaper, your uncle sure is strange Harry"

**"No damn letters today -"**

Harry was laughing "That's what you think"

"How many did you get that day?" asked Moony curiously

"Somewhere between thirty or forty" Harry answered

**Something came whizzing down the kitchen chimney as he spoke and caught him sharply on the back of the head. Next moment, thirty or forty letters came pelting out of the fireplace like bullets. The Dursleys ducked, but Harry leapt into the air trying to catch one -**

**"Out! OUT!" Uncle Vernon seized Harry around the waist and threw him into the hall.**

**When Aunt Petunia and Dudley had run out with their arms over their faces, Uncle Vernon slammed the door shut. They could hear the letters still streaming into the room, bouncing off the walls and floor.**

**"That does it," said Uncle Vernon, trying to speak calmly but pulling great tufts out of his moustache at the same time. "I want you all back here in five minutes, ready to leave. We're going away. Just pack some clothes. No arguments!"**

**He looked so dangerous with half his moustache missing that no one dared argue. Ten minutes later they had wrenched their way through the boarded-up doors and were in the car, speeding towards the motorway. Dudley was sniffling in the back seat; his father had hit him round the head for holding them up while he tried to pack his television, video and computer in his sports bag.**

A few people laughed quietly

**They drove. And they drove.** **Even Aunt Petunia didn't dare ask where they were going. Every now and then Uncle Vernon would take a sharp turning and drive in the opposite direction for a while.**

**"Shake 'em off ... shake 'em off," he would mutter whenever he did this.**

**They didn't stop to eat or drink all day.** **By nightfall Dudley was howling.** **He'd never had such a bad day in his life.** **He was hungry, he'd missed five television programmes he'd wanted to see and he'd never gone so long without blowing up an alien on his computer.**

"Welcome to my life" muttered Harry

**Uncle Vernon stopped at last outside a gloomy-looking hotel on the outskirts of a big city. Dudley and Harry shared a room with twin beds and damp, musty sheets. Dudley snored but Harry stayed awake, sitting on the window-sill, staring down at the lights of passing cars and wondering...**

**They ate stale cornflakes and cold tinned tomatoes on toast for breakfast the next day. They had just finished when the owner of the hotel came over to their table.**

**"'Scuse me, but is one of you Mr. H. Potter? Only I got about an 'hundred of these at the front desk."** **She held up a letter so they could read the green ink address:**

**Mr. H. Potter  
Room 17  
Railview Hotel  
Cokeworth**

**Harry made a grab for the letter but Uncle Vernon knocked his hand out of the way. The woman stared.**

"It's rude to stare" pointed out Hermione

**"I'll take them," said Uncle Vernon quickly, standing up quickly and following her from the dining-room.**

**"Wouldn't it be better just to go home, dear?" Aunt Petunia suggested timidly, hours later, but Uncle Vernon didn't seem to hear her. Exactly what he was looking for, none of them knew. He drove them into the middle of a forest, got out, looked around, shook his head, got back in the car and off they went again.** **The same thing happened in the middle of a ploughed field, halfway across a suspension bridge and at the top of a multi-storey car park.**

**"Daddy's gone mad, hasn't he?" Dudley asked Aunt Petunia dully late that afternoon.**

"No" said Harry "he's always been that way" the Dursley's glared at him, while everyone else simply looked amused

**Uncle Vernon had parked at the coast, locked them all inside the car and disappeared.  
It started to rain. Great drops beat on the roof of the car. Dudley snivelled.**

**"It's Monday," he told his mother.**

"Oh well done Dudley" exclaimed Ron "you know the day's of the week", Dudley glared at him.

**"The Great Humberto's on tonight. I want to stay somewhere with a television."  
Monday.**

**This reminded Harry of something. If it was Monday -and you could usually count on Dudley to know the days of the week,**

"But not much else" commented the Twins, Dudley glared at them

**because of television - then tomorrow, Tuesday, was Harry's eleventh birthday.**

**Of course, his birthdays were never exactly fun -last year, the Dursleys had given him a coat-hanger and a pair of Uncle Vernon's old socks.**

"You what" yelled James and Lily angrily, after a few minutes Remus continued reading

**Still, you weren't eleven every day.**

**Uncle Vernon was back and he was smiling.**

"That can't be good" said Hermione

**He was also carrying a long, thin package and didn't answer Aunt Petunia when she asked what he'd bought.**

**"Found the perfect place!" he said. "Come on! Everyone out!"**

**It was very cold outside the car. Uncle Vernon was pointing at what looked like a large rock way out to sea. Perched on top of the rock was the most miserable little shack you could imagine. One thing was certain, there was no television in there.**

**"Storm forecast for tonight!" said Uncle Vernon gleefully, clapping his hands together. "And this gentleman's kindly agreed to lend us his boat!"**

"Because that makes lots of sense" said Lily "there's a storm forecast, so you loan a boat"

**A toothless old man came ambling up to them, pointing, with a rather wicked grin, at an old rowing boat bobbing in the iron-grey water below them.**

**"I've already got us some rations," said Uncle Vernon, "so all aboard!"**

**It was freezing in the boat. Icy sea spray and rain crept down their necks and a chilly wind whipped their faces.**

**After what seemed like hours they reached the rock, where Uncle Vernon, slipping and sliding, led the way to the broken-down house**.

**The inside was horrible; it smelled strongly of seaweed, the wind whistled through the gaps in the wooden walls and the fire-place was damp and empty. There were only two rooms.**

**Uncle Vernon's rations turned out to be a packet of crisps each and four bananas. He tried to start a fire but the empty crisp packets just smoked and shrivelled up.**

"**Could do with some of those letters now eh?" he said cheerfully.**

"Yeah so Harry can finally read it" said Moony, everyone else nodded their agreement

**He was in a very good mood. Obviously he thought nobody stood a chance of reaching them here in a storm to deliver post.** **Harry privately agreed, though the thought didn't cheer him up at all.** **As night fell, the promised storm blew up around them. Spray from the high waves splattered the walls of the hut and a fierce wind rattled the filthy windows.**

**Aunt Petunia found a few mouldy blankets in the second room and made up a bed for Dudley on the moth-eaten sofa. She and Uncle Vernon went off to the lumpy bed next door ****and Harry was left to find the softest bit of floor he could find and to curl up under the thinnest, most ragged blanket.**

Everyone was glaring angrily at the Dursley's.

"You know" said Lily angrily "that's considered Neglect as well as many other things you've done"

**The storm raged more and more ferociously as the night went on. Harry couldn't sleep. He shivered and turned over, trying to get comfortable, his stomach rumbling with hunger.**

**Dudley's snores were drowned by the low rolls of thunder that started near midnight.**

**The lighted dial of Dudley's watch, which was dangling over the edge of the sofa on his fat wrist, told Harry he'd be eleven in ten minutes' time.**

**He lay and watched his birthday tick nearer, wondering if the Dursleys would remember at all,**

"They didn't" said Harry "not that I'd really expected them to"

**wondering where the letter-writer was now.**

**Five minutes to go. Harry heard something creak outside.**

**He hoped the roof wasn't going to fall in,**

**although it might be warmer if it did. Four minutes to go. Maybe the house in Privet Drive would be so full of letters when they got back that he'd be able to steal one somehow.**

**Three minutes to go. Was that the sea, slapping hard on the rock like that?**

**And (two minutes to go) what was that funny crunching noise?** **Was the rock crumbling into the sea?**

"I hope not" said Lily

**One minute to go and he'd be eleven. Thirty seconds ... twenty seconds ... ten - nine - maybe he'd wake Dudley up, just to annoy him –**

"Yeah do" said Fred, George nodded agreeing with his twin

"I didn't have to" commented Harry

**three - two - one - BOOM.**

**The whole shack shivered and Harry sat bolt upright, staring at the door. Someone was outside, knocking to come in.**

"Who?" asked Sirius

"Don't know" replied Remus "that's the end of the chapter"

"It was Hagrid" said both Harry and Dumbledore at the same time

"So who is reading next" asked Remus. Dumbledore volunteered.

* * *

**A/N: here is chapter 4, please review, i'll try to get the next chapter up soon**

**Padfoot-Moony-an-Prongs**


	5. The Keeper of the Keys

Dumbledore picked up the book and started to read

**CHAPTER FOUR THE KEEPER OF THE KEYS **

**BOOM.**

**They knocked again. Dudley jerked awake.**

**"Where's the cannon?" he said stupidly.**

Everyone laughed at that except the Dursley's who were glaring at everybody

**There was a crash behind them and Uncle Vernon came skidding into the room. He was holding a rifle in his hands.**

"What..." started Fred

"Is a rifle" finished George

"A Muggle weapon" replied Harry

**Now they knew what had been in the long, thin package he had brought with them.**

**"Who's there?" he shouted. "I warn you - I'm armed!"**

"Oh yes" snickered Harry "that worked so well that did" the Dursley's glared at Harry

**There was a pause. Then -**

**SMASH!**

**The door was hit with such force that it swung clean off its hinges and with a deafening crash landed flat on the floor.**

**A giant of a man was standing in the doorway.**

"Hagrid" exclaimed everyone quite unnecessarily.

**His face was almost completely hidden by a long, shaggy mane of hair and a wild tangled beard, but you could make out his eyes, glinting like black beetles under all the hair. The giant squeezed his way into the hut, stooping so that his head just brushed the ceiling. He bent down, picked up the door and fitted it easily back into its frame. The noise of the storm outside dropped a little. He turned to look at them all.**

**"Couldn't make a cup o' tea could yeh? It's not been an easy journey ..."**

"Typical Hagrid" stated McGonagall

**He strode over to the sofa where Dudley sat frozen with fear.**

**"Budge up, yeh great lump," said the stranger.**

**Dudley squeaked and ran to hide behind his mother, who was crouching, terrified behind Uncle Vernon.**

"Real brave relatives you have Harry" exclaimed Tonks sarcastically

**"An' here's Harry!" said the giant.**

**Harry looked up into the fierce, wild, shadowy face and saw that the beetle eyes were crinkled in a smile.**

**"Las' time I saw you, you was only a baby," said the giant. "Yeh look a lot like yeh dad, but yeh've got yer mum's eyes."**

"I get that a lot" said Harry

**Uncle Vernon made a funny rasping noise.**

**"I demand that you leave at once, sir!" he said. "You are breaking and entering!"**

"Hagrid obviously didn't care about that" stated James

"No not really" said Harry

**"Ah, shut up, Dursley, yeh great prune," said the giant.**

Everyone laughed a little at that

"Yeah you tell them Hagrid" said the Weasley's and Hermione together

**He reached over the back of the sofa, jerked the gun out of Uncle Vernon's hands, bent it into a knot as easily as if it had been made of rubber, and threw it into a corner of the room.**

Everyone laughed and the Dursley's were glaring angrily at them

"That was expensive you know" stated Uncle Vernon angrily.

"Yes so I've been told before" said Harry

**Uncle Vernon made another funny noise, like a mouse being trodden on.**

**"Anyway - Harry," said the giant, turning his back on the Dursley's, "a very happy birthday to yeh. Got summat fer yeh here - I mighta sat on it at some point, but it'll taste all right."**

**From an inside pocket of his black overcoat he pulled a slightly squashed box. Harry opened it with trembling fingers. Inside was a large, sticky chocolate cake with Happy Birthday Harry written on it in green icing?**

"That was nice of Hagrid" said Lily, everyone else nodded their agreement.

**Harry looked up at the giant. He meant to say thank you, but the words got lost on the way to his mouth, and what he said instead was, "Who are you?"**

**The giant chuckled.**

**"True, I haven't introduced meself. Rubeus Hagrid, Keeper of Keys and Grounds at Hogwarts." He held out an enormous hand and shook Harry's whole arm.**

**"What about that tea then, eh?" he said, rubbing his hands together. "I'd not say no ter summat stronger if yeh've got it, mind."**

"Typical Hagrid" stated Dumbledore fondly

**His eyes fell on the empty grate with the shrivelled crisp packets in it and he snorted. He bent down over the fireplace; they couldn't see what he was doing but when he drew back a second later, there was a roaring fire. It filled the whole damp hut with flickering light and Harry felt the warm rush over him as though he'd sunk into a hot bath.**

**The giant sat back down on the sofa, which sagged under his weight, and began taking all sorts of things out of the pockets of his coat: a copper kettle, a squashy packet of sausages, a poker, a teapot, several chipped mugs and a bottle of some amber liquid which he took a swig from before starting to make tea.**

**Soon the hut was full of the sound and smell of sizzling sausage.**

**Nobody said a thing while the giant was working, but as he slid the first six fat, juicy, slightly burnt sausages from the poker, Dudley fidgeted a little.**

**Uncle Vernon said sharply, "Don't touch anything he gives you, Dudley."**

"Hagrid probably wasn't going to give any to Dudley anyway" said James

"True" said Harry "and it's not like Dudley needed some anyway"

**The giant chuckled darkly.**

**"Yer great puddin' of a son don' need fattenin' any more, Dursley, don' worry."**

Everyone except for the Dursley's laughed a little at that.

**He passed the sausages to Harry, who was so hungry he had never tasted anything so wonderful, but he still couldn't take his eyes off the giant.**

**Finally, as nobody seemed about to explain anything, he said, "I'm sorry, but I still don't really know who you are."**

**The giant took a gulp of tea and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.**

**"Call me Hagrid," he said, "everyone does. An' like I told yeh, I'm Keeper of Keys at Hogwarts - yeh'll know all about Hogwarts, o' course."**

"I didn't until Hagrid explained everything" replied Harry quietly; everyone glared at the Dursley's

**"Er - no," said Harry.**

**Hagrid looked shocked.**

**"Sorry," Harry said quickly.**

"You don't need to be sorry Harry dear" said Mrs Weasley, everyone else nodded their agreement.

**"Sorry?" barked Hagrid, turning to stare at the Dursley's, who shrank back into the shadows. **

"And so they should" said Moony everyone nodded in agreement

"You don't want to get on the wrong side of Hagrid" said Harry

"Why have you been?" asked Sirius

"No" said Harry "can't say the same for the Dursley's though" the Dursley's glared at Harry, who ignored them and Dumbledore continued reading.

**"It's them as should be sorry! I knew yeh weren't gettin' yer letters but I never thought yeh wouldn't even know abou' Hogwarts, fer cryin' out loud! Did yeh never wonder where yer parents learnt it all?"**

**"All what?" asked Harry.**

**"ALL WHAT?" Hagrid thundered. "Now wait jus' one second!"**

**He had leapt to his feet. In his anger he seemed to fill the whole hut. The Dursley's were cowering against the wall.**

"Go Hagrid" cheered everyone, the Dursley's simply glared at them

**"Do you mean ter tell me," he growled at the Dursley's, "that this boy - this boy - knows nothin' abou' - about ANYTHING?"**

**Harry thought this was going a bit far.**

**He had been to school, after all, and his marks weren't bad.**

**"I know some things," he said. "I can, you know, do maths and stuff.**

"That's not what Hagrid meant Harry" said Tonks

"I know that now" said Harry

**But Hagrid simply waved his hand and said, "About our world, I mean. Your world. My world. Yer parents' world."**

**"What world?"**

**Hagrid looked as if he was about to explode.**

**"DURSLEY!" he boomed.**

**Uncle Vernon, who had gone very pale, whispered something that sounded like 'Mimblewimble'.**

"Is that even a word" asked Ginny

"No" was the answer from Remus

**Hagrid stared wildly at Harry.**

**"But yeh must know about yer mum and dad," he said. "I mean, they're famous. You're famous."**

**"What? My - my mum and dad weren't famous, were they?"**

"**Yeh don' know ... yeh don' know ..." Hagrid ran his fingers through his hair, fixing Harry with a bewildered stare.**

"No he didn't" growled Remus glaring angrily at the Dursley's "because his so called Aunt and Uncle didn't see it fit to tell him the truth"

**"Yeh don' know what yeh are?" he said finally.**

**Uncle Vernon suddenly found his voice.**

**"Stop!" he commanded. "Stop right there, sir! I forbid you to tell the boy anything!"**

"That is not going to work" said Sirius

**A braver man than Vernon Dursley would have quailed under the furious look Hagrid now gave him; when Hagrid spoke, his every syllable trembled with rage.**

**"You never told him? Never told him what was in the letter Dumbledore left fer him? I was there! I saw Dumbledore leave it, Dursley! An' you've kept it from him all these years?"**

"Yes" said everyone angrily glaring at the Dursley's

**"Kept what from me?" said Harry eagerly.**

**"STOP! I FORBID YOU!" yelled Uncle Vernon in panic. Aunt Petunia gave a gasp of horror.**

**"Ah, go boil yer heads, both of yeh," said Hagrid.**

Everyone laughed a little at that, while the Dursley's glared at them

**"Harry - yer a wizard."**

**There was a silence inside the hut. Only the sea and the whistling wind could be heard.**

**"I'm a what?"**

"A wizard of course" chorused everyone in the room

**"A wizard, o' course," said Hagrid, sitting back down on the sofa, which groaned and sank even lower, "an' a thumpin' good'un I'd say, once yeh've been trained up a bit. With a mum an' dad like yours, what else would yeh be? An' I reckon it's abou' time yeh read yer letter."**

Everyone agreed with that but it was Lily who said so

"Yes it is about time"

**Harry stretched out his hand at last to take the yellowish envelope, addressed in emerald green to **

**Mr. H. Potter,  
The Floor,  
Hut-on-the-Rock,  
The Sea. **

**He pulled out the letter and read:**

**HOGWARTS SCHOOL OF WITCHCRAFT AND WIZARDRY**

**Headmaster: Albus Dumbledore**

**(Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc., Chr. Warlock, Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. of Wizards)**

**Dear Mr. Potter,  
We are pleased to inform you that you have a place at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment.  
Term begins on 1 September. We await your owl by no later than 31 July.**

**Yours sincerely,**

**Minerva McGonagall  
Deputy Headmistress**

**Questions exploded inside Harry's head like fireworks and he couldn't decide which to ask first. After a few minutes he stammered, "What does it mean, they await my owl?"**

**"Gallopin' Gorgons, that reminds me," said Hagrid, clapping a hand to his forehead with enough force to knock over a cart horse, and from yet another pocket inside his overcoat he pulled out an owl –**

"Poor owl" said Hermione

**a real, live, rather ruffled-looking owl - a long quill and a roll of parchment. With his tongue between his teeth he scribbled a note which Harry could read upside down:**

_**Dear Mr. Dumbledore,  
Given Harry his letter. Taking him to buy his things tomorrow. Weather's horrible. Hope you're well.  
Hagrid.**_

**Hagrid rolled up the note, gave it to the owl, which clamped it in its beak, went to the door and threw the owl out into the storm. Then he came back and sat down as though this was normal as talking on the telephone.**

"That's because it is" said James

**Harry realized his mouth was open and closed it quickly.**

**"Where was I?" said Hagrid, but at that moment, Uncle Vernon, still ashen-faced but looking very angry, moved into the firelight.**

**"He's not going," he said.**

**Hagrid grunted.**

**"I'd like ter see a great Muggle like you stop him," he said.**

**"A what?" said Harry, interested.**

**"A Muggle," said Hagrid. "It's what we call non-magic folk like them. An' it's your bad luck you grew up in a family o' the biggest Muggle's I ever laid eyes on."**

"Yes" agreed Harry wholeheartedly "they hate anything to do with magic"

"There is no such thing as magic" stated Uncle Vernon who still refused to accept that magic existed

"Well if that is what you want to believe" said Harry "But you do know that without magic I couldn't have fought off those two dementors last summer"

"You can produce a corporeal patronus?" asked Lily

"Yes"

"But that's above NEWT level" said James in awe "how long have you been able to?"

"Since I was thirteen" answered Harry. Lily, James, Sirius and Moony stared a Harry.

"It's true" said Remus "I taught him, when I was the Defence teacher"

"I ... You taught defence at Hogwarts" asked Moony

"Yes, but only for the year" replied Remus

"Why?" asked James

"Why what?" asked Remus "Why did I teach defence?, Why was I only there for the year?, or Why did I teach Harry the Patronus charm?"

"All three" answered James, Lily, Sirius and Moony

"Well" replied Remus "I took the defence job because Dumbledore asked me, I had nothing better to do and it allowed me to be closer to Harry, I was only there for one year because at the end of the year Snape let slip to the Slytherin's, that I'm a werewolf, so naturally pretty much the whole school knows and I thought it best to resign, and I taught Harry the patronus charm because there were dementors guarding the school at the time and they affect him rather badly so when he asked me if he could learn to defend himself against them I agreed to teaching him"

"What were dementors doing at the school anyway?" asked Sirius

"Never mind that at the moment" answered Dumbledore "I think perhaps we should continuing reading" everyone agreed although the Dursley's wanted nothing more than to go home and away from the bunch of freaks, and James, Lily, Sirius and Moony wanted to know what dementors were doing at Hogwarts. Dumbledore however seemed not to notice and continued reading.

**"We swore when we took him in we'd put a stop to that rubbish," said Uncle Vernon, "swore we'd stamp it out of him! Wizard, indeed!"**

"Stamp out" Yelled James, Lily, Sirius, Moony, Remus and Mrs Weasley angrily. "If you dare lay a hand on harry we'll hex you into next week" the Dursley's were glaring at them but didn't dare say anything for fear of angering the six further.

**"You knew?" said Harry. "You knew I'm a - a wizard?"**

**"Knew!" shrieked Aunt Petunia suddenly. "Knew! Of course we knew! How could you not be, my dratted sister being what she was?**

Lily glared at the Dursley's

**Oh, she got a letter just like that and disappeared off to that - that school - and came home every holiday with her pockets full of frog-spawn, turning teacups into rats.**

Everyone was staring at Lily with a raised eyebrow

"What?" Lily questioned "that was one time, not every holiday, and it was because I had permission to show my parents what I learnt and as for the frog-spawn I didn't put it there, I have a fair idea who did though" she added this last part looking at James.

**I was the only one who saw her for what she was - a freak!**

"Lil's is not a freak" exclaimed James angrily

**But for my mother and father, oh no, it was Lily this and Lily that, they were proud of having a witch in the family!"**

"Just because you're jealous and decided to hate anything to do with magic, doesn't mean that our parent's did" said Lily angrily

**She stopped to draw a deep breath and then went ranting on. It seemed like she had been wanting to say all this for years.**

"Probably had" said Fred and George together, everyone else nodded their agreement.

**"Then she met that Potter at school and they left and got married and had you, and of course I knew you'd be the same, just as strange, just as - as - abnormal – **

"I am not abnormal" protested Harry at the same time as everyone else said

"Harry is not abnormal"

**and then, if you please, she went and got herself blown up and we got landed with you!"**

"Not like I want to live with you" mumbled Harry

**Harry had gone very white.**

**As soon as he found his voice he said, "Blown up? You told me they died in a car crash!"**

**"CAR CRASH!" roared Hagrid, jumping so angrily that the Dursley's scuttled back to their corner. "How could a car crash kill Lily an' James Potter? It's an outrage! A scandal! Harry Potter not knowin' his own story when every kid in our world knows his name!"**

"Unfortunately" Harry mumbled

**"But why? What happened?" Harry asked urgently.**

**The anger faded from Hagrid's face. He looked suddenly anxious.**

**"I never expected this," he said in a low, worried voice. "I had no idea, when Dumbledore told me there might be trouble gettin' hold of yeh, how much yeh didn't know. Ah, Harry, I don' know if I'm the right person ter tell yeh - but someone's gotta - yeh can't go off ter Hogwarts not knowin'"**

"To right he can't" exclaimed everyone present except the Dursley's

**He threw a dirty look at the Dursley's.**

"**Well, its best yeh know as much as I can tell yeh - mind, I can't tell yeh everythin', it's a great myst'ry, parts of it ..."**

**He sat down, stared into the fire for a few seconds and then said, "It begins, I suppose, with - with a person called - but it's incredible yeh don't know his name, everyone in our world knows -"**

**"Who?"**

**"Well - I don' like sayin' the name if I can help it. No one does."**

**"Why not?"**

**"Gulpin' gargoyles, Harry, people are still scared. Blimey, this is difficult. See, there was this wizard who went ... bad. As bad as you could go. Worse. Worse than worse. His name was ..."**

"Voldemort" supplied Harry helpfully "although his true name is Tom Marvolo Riddle"

"It is?" asked James, Harry nodded and Dumbledore continued reading

**Hagrid gulped, but no words came out.**

**"Could you write it down?" Harry suggested.**

**"Nah - can't spell it. All right - Voldemort."**

**Hagrid shuddered. "Don' make me say it again. Anyway, this - this wizard, about twenty years ago now, started lookin' fer followers. Got 'em, too - some were afraid, some just wanted a bit o' his power, 'cause he was gettin' himself power, all right. Dark days, Harry. Didn't know who ter trust didn't dare get friendly with strange wizards or witches ... Terrible things happened. He was takin' over. 'Course, some stood up to him - an' he killed 'em. Horribly. One o' the only safe places left was Hogwarts. Reckon Dumbledore's the only one You-Know-Who was afraid of. Didn't dare try takin' the school, not jus' then, anyway."**

"Probably wouldn't attempt taking the school at the moment either" said McGonagall

**"Now, yer mum an' dad were as good a witch an' wizard as I ever knew.** **Head Boy an' Girl at Hogwarts in their day!"**

**Suppose the myst'ry is why You-Know-Who never tried to get 'em on his side before ... probably knew they were too close ter Dumbledore ter want anythin' ter do with the Dark Side. Maybe he thought he could persuade 'em ... maybe he just wanted 'em outta the way. All anyone knows is, he turned up in the village where you was all living, on Halloween ten years ago. You was just a year old. He came ter yer house an' - an' -"**

"Halloween?" questioned James and Lily weakly.

"Yes" replied McGonagall quietly, after a few minutes Dumbledore continued reading

**Hagrid suddenly pulled out a very dirty, spotted handkerchief and blew his nose with the sound of a foghorn.**

**"Sorry," he said. "But it's that sad - knew yer mum an' dad, an' nicer people yeh couldn't find - anyway - You-Know-Who killed 'em. An' then - an' this is the real myst'ry of the thing - he tried to kill you, too. Wanted ter make a clean job of it, I suppose, or maybe he just liked killin' by then.**

"No that would be because of the Prophecy" commented Dumbledore quietly, everyone else nodded agreeing with him.

**But he couldn't do it. Never wondered how you got that mark on yer forehead? That was no ordinary cut. That's what yeh get when a powerful, evil curse touches yeh -took care of yer mum an' dad an' yer house, even - but it didn't work on you, an' that's why yer famous, Harry.**

**No one ever lived after he decided to kill 'em, no one except you, an' he'd killed some o' the best witches an' wizards of the age - the McKinnons, the Bones, the Prewetts - an' you was only a baby an' you lived."**

**Something very painful was going on inside Harry's mind.**

**As Hagrid's story came to a close, he saw again the blinding flash of green light, more clearly than he had ever remembered it before - and he remembered something else, for the first time in his life - a high, cold, cruel, laugh.**

Everyone was looking at Harry sadly, but Dumbledore continued reading.

**Hagrid was watching him sadly.**

**"Took yer from the ruined House myself, on Dumbledore's orders. Brought yeh ter this lot ..."**

**"Load of old tosh," said Uncle Vernon.**

"It is not" commented everyone glaring angrily at the Dursley's

**Harry jumped; he had almost forgotten that the Dursley's were there. Uncle Vernon certainly seemed to have got back his courage. He was glaring at Hagrid and his fists were clenched.**

**"Now you listen here, boy," he snarled. "I accept there's something strange about you, probably nothing a good beating wouldn't have cured –**

"Don't you dare" said everyone angrily glaring at the Dursley's

**and as for all this about your parents, well, they were weirdoes, no denying it,**

"We are not weirdoes" commented James and Lily

"Yes you are" said Dudley earning himself glares from everyone else

**and the world's better off without them in my opinion - asked for all they got, getting mixed up with all these wizarding types - just what I expected, always knew they'd come to a sticky end - "**

"That's not true" said Ginny "they died protecting Harry" everyone else nodded agreeing with Ginny.

**But at that moment, Hagrid leapt up from the sofa and drew a battered pink umbrella from inside his coat.**

**Pointing this at Uncle Vernon like a sword, he said, "I'm warning you, Dursley - I'm warning you - one more word ..."**

**In danger of being speared on the end of an umbrella by a bearded giant, Uncle Vernon's courage failed again; he flattened himself against the wall and fell silent.**

"Good" said Sirius "maybe now he will stay quite"

"Unfortunately not" said Harry "Well for them at least"

**"That's better," said Hagrid breathing heavily and sitting back down on the sofa, which this time sagged right down to the floor.**

**Harry, meanwhile, still had questions to ask, hundreds of them.**

**"But what happened to Vol- sorry - I mean, You-Know-Who?"**

**"Good question, Harry. Disappeared. Vanished. Same night he tried ter kill you. Makes yeh even more famous. That's the biggest myst'ry, see ... he was gettin' more an' more powerful - why'd he go? Some say he died.**

"I wish" mumbled Harry

**Codswallop, in my opinion. Dunno if he had enough human left in him to die. Some say he's still out there, bidin' his time, like, but I don' believe it. People who were on his side came back ter ours. Some of 'em came outta kinda trances. Don' reckon they could've done if he was comin' back. Most of us reckon he's still out there somewhere but lost his powers. Too weak to carry on. 'Cause somethin' about you finished him, Harry. There was somethin' goin' on that night he hadn't counted on - I dunno what it was, no one does - but somethin' about you stumped him, all right."**

**Hagrid looked at Harry with warmth and respect blazing in his eyes, but Harry, instead of feeling pleased and proud, felt quite sure there had been a horrible mistake.**

**A wizard? Him? How could he possibly be? He'd spent his life being clouted by Dudley and bullied by Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon; if he was really a wizard, why hadn't they been turned into warty toads every time they'd tried to lock him in his cupboard?**

Everyone laughed at that, even Harry.

"Maybe we should turn …" started Fred

"…The Dursley's into toads for you" finished George

"Don't you dare you two" said Mrs Weasley sternly to Fred and George before Dumbledore continued reading.

**If he'd once defeated the greatest sorcerer in the world, how come Dudley had always been able to kick him around like a football?**

**"Hagrid," he said quietly, "I think you must have made a mistake. I don't think I can be a wizard."**

**To his surprise, Hagrid chuckled. "Not a wizard, eh? Never made things happen when you were scared or angry?"**

**Harry looked into the fire. Now he came to think about it ... every odd thing that had ever happened when he, Harry, had been upset or angry ... chased by Dudley's gang, he had somehow found himself out of their reach ...**

"Yes" said Ron "that was brilliant"

**dreading going to school with that ridiculous haircut, he'd managed to make it grow back ...**

"I'm not entirely sure that accidental magic" said Tonks thoughtfully

**And the very last time Dudley had hit him, hadn't he got his revenge, without even realizing he was doing it? Hadn't he set a boa constrictor on him?**

"Yes" said Fred and George "excellent work there"

**Harry looked back at Hagrid, smiling, and saw that Hagrid was positively beaming at him.**

**"See?" said Hagrid. "Harry Potter, not a wizard - you wait, you'll be right famous at Hogwarts."**

"Unfortunately" mumbled Harry

**But Uncle Vernon wasn't going to give in without a fight. "Haven't I told you he's not going?" he hissed. "He's going to Stonewall High and he'll be grateful for it. I've read those letters and he needs all sorts of rubbish - spell books and wands and -"**

**"If he wants ter go, a great Muggle like you won't stop him," growled Hagrid. "Stop Lily an' James Potter's son goin' ter Hogwarts! Yer mad. His name's been down ever since he was born. He's off ter the finest school of witchcraft and wizardry in the world. Seven years there and he won't know himself. He'll be with youngsters of his own sort, fer a change, an' he'll be under the greatest Headmaster Hogwarts ever had, Albus Dumbled -"**

**"I AM NOT PAYING FOR SOME CRACKPOT OLD FOOL TO TEACH HIM MAGIC TRICKS!" yelled Uncle Vernon.**

"That wasn't a good idea" stated Harry, Ron and Hermione

**But he had finally gone too far. Hagrid seized his umbrella and whirled over his head. "NEVER -" he thundered, "- INSULT - ALBUS - DUMBLEDORE - IN - FRONT - OF - ME!"**

"Yes that is a really bad idea" said Ginny

**He brought the umbrella swishing down through the air to point at Dudley -**

**There was a flash of violet light, a sound like a firecracker, a sharp squeal and next second, Dudley was dancing on the spot with his hands clasped over his fat bottom, howling in pain.**

Everyone was laughing softly

"What did Hagrid do" asked Sirius

"Gave Dudley a pigs tail" answered an amused Harry, the Dursley's were glaring at Harry. And after a few minutes Dumbledore continued reading.

**When he turned his back on them, Harry saw a curly pig's tail poking through a hole in his trousers.**

**Uncle Vernon roared. Pulling Aunt Petunia and Dudley into the other room, he cast one last terrified look at Hagrid and slammed the door behind them.**

**Hagrid looked down at his umbrella and stroked his beard.**

**"Shouldn'ta lost me temper," he said ruefully, "but it didn't work anyway. Meant ter turn him into a pig, but I suppose he was so much like a pig anyway there wasn't much left ter do."**

Everyone laughed again

**He cast a sideways look at Harry under his bushy eyebrows.**

"**Be grateful if yeh didn't mention that ter anyone at Hogwarts," he said. "I'm - er - not supposed ter do magic, strictly speakin'. I was allowed ter do a bit ter follow yeh an' get yer letters to yeh an' stuff - one o' the reasons I was so keen ter take on the job -"**

**"Why aren't you supposed to do magic?" asked Harry.**

**"Oh, well - I was at Hogwarts meself but I - er - got expelled, ter tell yeh the truth. In me third year. They snapped me wand in half an' everything. But Dumbledore let me stay on as gamekeeper. Great man, Dumbledore."**

Everyone nodded in agreement

**"Why were you expelled?"**

"Yeah why" asked Sirius "we did ask him once but he never told us"

"Because" said Harry "he had a pet Acromantula and when the Chamber of Secrets was opened roughly 54years ago, and Tom Riddle who was at the school at the time found Hagrid's pet, he was wrongly blamed for the opening of the Chamber and expelled"

"So who was to blame" asked Lily

"Tom Riddle was, and the creature within the chamber was a Basilisk anyway" answered Hermione before asking Dumbledore to continue reading.

**"It's gettin' late and we've got lots ter do tomorrow," said Hagrid loudly.**

**"Gotta get up ter town, get all yer books an' that."**

**He took off his thick black coat and threw it to Harry.**

**"You can kip under that, he said. "Don't' mind if it wriggles a bit, I think I still got a couple o' dormice in one o' the pockets."**

"That's all" said Dumbledore

"I'll read next" volunteered Tonks accepting the offered book off of Dumbledore.

* * *

**A/N: here is chapter 5, enjoy and please review, i'll try to get the next chapter up soon**

**Padfoot-Moony-an-Prongs**


	6. Diagon Alley

"So what were dementors doing at Hogwarts?" asked Moony curiously

"Well Sirius had escaped from Azkaban, and since we didn't find out about his innocence until the end of that same year, we had dementors guarding the school, even though it was against my wishes to have dementors on school grounds" said Dumbledore, everyone accepted that answer

"Is that all, or can I start reading now?" asked Tonks

"Actually, before you do, I'd like to know what form Harry's Patronus takes" said James

"A stag" answered Harry

"Really?" asked James to which Harry nodded; turning to Tonks James continued "ok you can start reading now" Tonks did just that.

**CHAPTER FIVE DIAGON ALLEY**

"I love Diagon Alley" said Hermione. Everyone nodded in agreement

**Harry woke early the next morning. Although he could tell it was daylight, he kept his eyes shut tight.**

**"It was a dream," he told himself firmly.**

"No Harry it was real" said Ginny

**"I dreamt a giant called Hagrid came to tell me I was going to a school for wizards. When I open my eyes I'll be at home in my cupboard."**

"Why did you think that?" asked Ron

"I just thought it was to good to be true" answered Harry

**There was suddenly a loud tapping noise.**

**"And there's Aunt Petunia knocking on the door," Harry thought, his heart sinking. But he still hadn't opened his eyes. It had been such a good dream.**

"Except it wasn't a dream Harry dear" said Mrs Weasley

**Tap. Tap. Tap.**

**"All right," Harry mumbled, "I'm getting up."**

**He sat up and Hagrid's heavy coat fell off him.**

**The hut was full of sunlight, the storm was over, Hagrid himself was asleep on the collapsed sofa and there was an owl rapping its claw on the window, a newspaper held in its beak.**

**Harry scrambled to his feet, so happy he felt as though a large balloon was swelling inside him.**

"Interesting analogy" commented Hermione

**He went straight to the window and jerked it open. The owl swooped in and dropped the newspaper on top of Hagrid, who didn't wake up. The owl then fluttered to the floor and began to attack Hagrid's coat.**

**"Don't do that."**

"He wanted paying Harry" said Ginny

Harry shrugged sheepishly "I didn't know that until Hagrid told me"

**Harry tried to wave the owl out of the way, but it snapped its beak fiercely at him and carried on savaging the coat.**

**"Hagrid!" said Harry loudly. "There's an owl -"**

"Well spotted Harry" commented Fred and George

**"Pay him," Hagrid grunted into the sofa.**

**"What?"**

**"He wants payin' fer deliverin' the paper. Look in the pockets."**

"Except Hagrid's coat is made of nothing but pockets" commented Harry

**Hagrid's coat seemed to be made of nothing but pockets - bunches of keys, slug pellets, balls of string, mint humbugs, teabags ... finally, Harry pulled out a handful of strange-looking coins.**

**"Give him five Knuts," said Hagrid sleepily.**

**"Knuts?"**

"The little Bronze ones" commented Tonks quite unnecessarily

**"The little bronze ones."**

**Harry counted five little bronze coins and the owl held out its leg so he could put the money into a small leather pouch tied to it. Then it flew out through the open window.**

**Hagrid yawned loudly, sat up and stretched.**

**"Best be off, Harry, lots ter do today, gotta get up ter London an' buy all yer stuff fer school."**

**Harry was turning over the wizard coins and looking at them. He had just thought of something which made him feel as though the happy balloon inside him had got a puncture.**

**"Um - Hagrid?"**

**"Mm?" said Hagrid, who was pulling on his huge boots.**

**"I haven't got any money - and you heard Uncle Vernon last night - he won't pay for me to go to learn magic."**

"Too right, we wouldn't" said Vernon, though that only caused everyone to glare angrily at him

**"Don't worry about that," said Hagrid, standing up and scratching his head. "D'ye think year parents didn't leave yeh anything?"**

"We would have left you both vaults" said James "though the vault you have access to would be your vault that we set up to pay for your schooling, the other is a family vault that you will gain access to once you turn seventeen"

**"But if their house was destroyed -"**

**"They didn't keep their gold in the house, boy! Nah, first stop fer us is Gringotts. Wizards' bank Have a sausage, they're not bad cold - an' I wouldn' say no teh a bit o' yer birthday cake, neither.**

**"Wizards have banks?"**

**"Just the one. Gringotts. Run by goblins."**

**Harry dropped the bit of sausage he was holding.**

**"Goblins?"**

**"Yeah - so yeh'd be mad ter try an' rob it, I'll tell yeh that. Never mess with goblins, Harry. Gringotts is the safest place in the world fer anything yeh want ter keep safe - 'cept maybe Hogwarts. As a matter o' fact, gotta visit Gringotts anyway. Fer Dumbledore. Hogwarts business." Hagrid drew himself up proudly. "He usually gets me ter do important stuff fer him. Fetchin' you - gettin' things from Gringotts - knows he can trust me, see."**

**"Got everythin'? Come on, then."**

"Yes, not that I had anything with me really" commented Harry, everyone glared angrily at the Dursley's.

**Harry followed Hagrid out on to the rock. The sky was quite clear now and the sea gleamed in the sunlight. The boat Uncle Vernon had hired was still there, with a lot of water in the bottom after the storm.**

**"How did you get here?" Harry asked, looking around for another boat.**

**"Flew," said Hagrid.**

"Hagrid can Fly?" asked Ginny shocked

"Apparently" answered Harry

**"Flew?"**

**"Yeah - but we'll go back in this. Not s'pposed ter use magic now I've got yeh."  
They settled down in the boat, Harry still staring at Hagrid, trying to imagine him flying.**

"So, how did the Dursley's get back?" asked Lily

"Me and Minerva picked them up and took them home" answered Dumbledore

**"Seems a shame ter row, though," said Hagrid, giving Harry another of his sideways looks. "If I was ter - er - speed things up a bit, would yeh mind not mentionin' it at Hogwarts?"**

**"Of course not," said Harry, eager to see more magic. Hagrid pulled out the pink umbrella again, tapped it twice on the side of the boat and they sped off towards land.**

**"Why would you be mad to try and rob Gringotts?" Harry asked.**

**"Spells - enchantments," said Hagrid, unfolding his newspaper as he spoke. "They say there are dragons guardin' the high security vaults. And then yeh gotta find yer way - Gringotts is hundreds of miles under London, see. Deep under the Underground. Yeh'd die of hunger tryin' ter get out, even if yeh did manage ter get yer hands on summat."**

"That's a good point actually" said Remus "though that didn't stop someone from trying to a few years ago, even though they didn't succeed"

"Some one tried to rob Gringotts a few years ago?" asked Sirius shocked "what happened to them?'

"Nothing they didn't catch them" answered McGonagall

**Harry sat and thought about this while Hagrid read his newspaper, the Daily Prophet. Harry had learnt from Uncle Vernon that people like to be left alone while they did this, but it was very difficult, he'd never had so many questions in his life.**

"Then ask" said James "Hagrid wouldn't have minded"

**"Ministry o' Magic messin' things up as usual," Hagrid muttered, turning the page.**

**"There's a Ministry of Magic?" Harry asked, before he could stop himself.**

**"'Course," said Hagrid. "They wanted Dumbledore fer Minister, o' course, but he'd never leave Hogwarts, so old Cornelius Fudge got the job. **

"Idiot" muttered Harry, Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Fred, George, Remus, Tonks and Mrs Weasley.

"That's not very nice" said Lily

"It's true though" said Tonks "he refused to believe that Voldemort had returned all of this past year"

"Did he really?" asked Sirius shocked, Remus, Tonks, McGonagall, Dumbledore, Mrs Weasley, Harry, Ron, Hermione, Fred, George and Ginny all nodded

**Bungler if ever there was one. So he pelts Dumbledore with owls every morning, askin' fer advice."**

"Does he really?" asked Ginny, Dumbledore nodded then said

"Though he isn't minister anymore, a vote of no confidence went through last week"

"Really?" asked Hermione, Dumbledore nodded

**"But what does a Ministry of Magic do?"**

**"Well, their main job is to keep it from the Muggles that there's still witches an' wizards up an' down the country."**

**"Why?"**

**"Why? Blimey, Harry, everyone'd be wantin' magic solutions to their problems. Nah, we're best left alone."**

"True" said McGonagall

**At this moment the boat bumped gently into the harbor wall. Hagrid folded up his newspaper and they clambered up the stone steps on to the street.**

**Passers-by stared a lot at Hagrid as they walked through the little town to the station. Harry couldn't blame them. Not only was Hagrid twice as tall as anyone else, he kept pointing at perfectly ordinary things like parking meters and saying loudly, "See that, Harry? Things these Muggles dream up, eh?"**

"Can Hagrid have been anymore obvious" said Hermione exasperated

**"Hagrid," said Harry panting a bit as he ran to keep up, "did you say there are dragons at Gringotts?"**

**"Well, so they say," said Hagrid. "Crikey, I'd like a dragon."**

"Damn Hagrid, and his obsession with Dragons" groaned Ron

**"You'd like one?"**

**"Wanted one ever since I was a kid - here we go."**

**They had reached the station. There was a train to London in five minutes' time. Hagrid, who didn't understand 'Muggle money', as he called it, gave the notes to Harry so he could buy their tickets.**

**People stared more than ever on the train. Hagrid took up two seats and sat knitting what looked like a canary-yellow circus tent.**

"I never did find out what that was" Harry said

**"Still got yer letter, Harry?" he asked as he counted stitches.  
Harry took the parchment envelope out of his pocket.**

**"Good," said Hagrid. "There's a list of everything yeh need."  
Harry unfolded a second piece of paper he hadn't noticed the night before and read:**

**HOGWARTS SCHOOL OF WITCHCRAFT AND WIZARDRY**

**Uniform  
First-year students will require:  
1. Three sets of plain work robes (black)  
2. One plain pointed hat (black) for day wear  
3. One pair of protective gloves (dragon hide or similar)  
4. One winter cloak (black, silver fastenings)  
Please note that all pupils' clothes should carry name tags**

**Set Books  
All students should have a copy of each of the following:  
The Standard Book of Spells (Grade 1) by Miranda Goshawk  
A History of Magic by Bathilda Bagshot  
Magical Theory by Adalbert Waffling  
A Beginners' Guide to Transfiguration by Emeric Switch  
One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi by Phyllida Spore  
Magical Drafts and Potions by Arsenius Jigger  
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them by Newt Scamander  
The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection by Quentin Trimble**

**Other Equipment  
1 wand  
1 cauldron (pewter, standard size 2)  
1 set glass or crystal phials  
1 telescope  
1 set brass scales**

**Students may also bring an owl OR a cat OR a toad**

**PARENTS ARE REMINDED THAT FIRST-YEARS ARE NOT ALLOWED THEIR OWN BROOMSTICKS**

"Except Harry" said Fred and George, McGonagall smiled slightly

"What do you mean except Harry" asked James curiously

"Only that he's the youngest seeker in a century" said Ron

"What?" questioned James slightly shocked

"I've been on the Gryffindor Quidditch team since my first year" said Harry quietly, James, Lily, Sirius and Moony were slightly shocked

"Really?" asked Sirius "What type of broom do you have?"

"Well I did originally have a Nimbus 2000, but now I have a Firebolt which is an international standard racing broom"

"Ok enough Quidditch talk, so I can continue reading" Said Tonks

**"Can we buy all this in London?" Harry wondered aloud.**

**"If yeh know where to go," said Hagrid.**

**Harry had never been to London before. Although Hagrid seemed to know where he was going, he was obviously not too used to getting there in an ordinary way. He got stuck in the ticket barrier on the Underground and complained loudly that the seats were too small and the trains too slow.**

**"I don't know how the Muggles manage without magic," he said, as they climbed a broken-down escalator which led up to a bustling road lined with shops.**

**Hagrid was so huge that he parted the crowd easily; all Harry had to do was keep close behind him.**

**They passed book shops and music stores, hamburger bars and cinemas, but nowhere that looked as if it could sell you a magic wand.**

"Really, Harry" exclaimed an exasperated Ginny "Wizard shops would look rather out of place in a busy London street"

**This was just an ordinary street full of ordinary people. Could there really be piles of wizard gold buried miles beneath them? Were there really shops that sold spell books and broomsticks?**

"Yes" said everyone

**Might this not all be some huge joke that the Dursleys had cooked up?**

"No" said Harry "The Dursley's have no sense of humor"

**If Harry hadn't known that the Dursleys had no sense of humor, he might have thought so; yet somehow, even though everything Hagrid had told him so far was unbelievable, Harry couldn't help trusting him.**

**"This is it," said Hagrid, coming to a halt, "the Leaky Cauldron. It's a famous place."**

**It was a tiny, grubby-looking pub. If Hagrid hadn't pointed it out, Harry wouldn't have noticed it was there. The people hurrying by didn't glance at it. Their eyes slid from the big book shop on one side to the record shop on the other as if they couldn't see the Leaky Cauldron at all. In fact, Harry had the most peculiar feeling that only he and Hagrid could see it.**

"That's because only witches and wizards can see it" said Remus

**Before he could mention this, Hagrid had steered him inside.**

**For a famous place, it was very dark and shabby. A few old women were sitting in a corner, drinking tiny glasses of sherry. One of them was smoking a long pipe. A little man in a top hat was talking to the old barman, who was quite bald and looked like a gummy walnut.**

**The low buzz of chatter stopped when they walked in. Everyone seemed to know Hagrid; they waved and smiled at him, and the barman reached for a glass, saying, "The usual, Hagrid?"**

**"Can't, Tom, I'm on Hogwarts business," said Hagrid, clapping his great hand on Harry's shoulder and making Harry's knees buckle.**

**"Good Lord," said the barman, peering at Harry, "is this - can this be -?"**

Harry Groaned

**The Leaky Cauldron had suddenly gone completely still and silent.  
"Bless my soul," whispered the old barman. "Harry Potter ... what an honor."**

**He hurried out from behind the bar, rushed towards Harry and seized his hand, tears in his eyes.**

**"Welcome back, Mr. Potter, welcome back."**

**Harry didn't know what to say. Everyone was looking at him. The old woman with the pipe was puffing on it without realizing it had gone out. Hagrid was beaming.**

**Then there was a great scraping of chairs and, next moment, Harry found himself shaking hands with everyone in the Leaky Cauldron.**

"Yes, that got annoying rather fast" said Harry

**"Doris Crockford, Mr. Potter, can't believe I'm meeting you at last."**

**"So proud, Mr. Potter, I'm just so proud."**

**"Always wanted to shake your hand - I'm all of a flutter."**

**"Delighted, Mr. Potter, just can't tell you. Diggle's the name, Dedalus Diggle."**

**"I've seen you before!" said Harry, as Dedalus Diggle's top hat fell off in his excitement. "You bowed to me once in a shop."**

**"He remembers!" cried Dedalus Diggle, looking around at everyone. "Did you hear that? He remembers me!"**

**Harry shook hands again and again - Doris Crockford kept coming back for more.**

**A pale young man made his way forward, very nervously. One of his eyes was twitching.  
"Professor Quirrell!" said Hagrid. "Harry, Professor Quirrell will be one of your teachers at Hogwarts."**

**"P-P-Potter," stammered Professor Quirrell, grasping Harry's hand, "c-can't t-tell you how p-pleased I am to meet you."**

**"What sort of magic do you teach, Professor Quirrell?"**

**"D-Defence Against the D-D-Dark Arts," muttered Professor Quirrell, as though he'd rather not think about it. "N-not that you n-need it, eh, P-P-Potter?" he laughed nervously. "You'll be g-getting all your equipment, I suppose? I've g-got to p-pick up a new b-book on vampires, m-myself." He looked terrified at the very thought.**

**But the others wouldn't let Professor Quirrell keep Harry to himself. It took almost ten minutes to get away from them all. At last, Hagrid managed to make himself heard over the babble. "Must get on - lots ter buy. Come on, Harry."**

"Yes, though I was just glad to get out the Leaky Cauldron" said Harry

**Doris Crockford shook his hand one last time and Hagrid led them through the bar and out into a small, walled courtyard, where there was nothing but a dustbin and a few weeds.**

**Hagrid grinned at Harry.**

**"Told yeh, didn't I? Told yeh you was famous. Even Professor Quirrell was tremblin' ter meet yeh - mind you, he's usually tremblin'."**

**"Is he always that nervous?"**

**"Oh, yeah, poor bloke. Brilliant mind. He was fine while he was studyin' outta books but then he took a year off ter get some first-hand experience... They say he met vampires in the Black Forest and there was a nasty bit o' trouble with a hag - never been the same since. Scared of the students, scared of his own subject - now, where's me umbrella?"**

**Vampires? Hags? Harry's head was swimming.**

**Hagrid, meanwhile, was counting bricks in the wall above the dustbin.**

**"Three up... two across..." he muttered. "Right, stand back, Harry."**

**He tapped the wall three times with the point of his umbrella.**

**The brick he had touched quivered - it wriggled - in the middle, a small hole appeared - it grew wider and wider - a second later they were facing an archway large enough even for Hagrid, an archway on to a cobbled street which twisted and turned out of sight.**

"Welcome" said Fred

"To Diagon Alley" Continued George

Harry rolled his eyes

**"Welcome," said Hagrid, "to Diagon Alley."**

**He grinned at Harry's amazement. They stepped through the archway. Harry looked quickly over his shoulder and saw the archway shrink instantly back into solid wall.**

**The sun shone brightly on a stack of cauldrons outside the nearest shop. Cauldrons - All Sizes - Copper, Brass, Pewter, Silver - Self-Stirring - Collapsible said a sign hanging over them.**

**"Yeah, you'll be needin' one," said Hagrid, "but we gotta get yer money first."**

**Harry wished he had about eight more eyes. He turned his head in every direction as they walked up the street, trying to look at everything at once: the shops, the things outside them, the people doing their shopping. A plump woman outside an apothecary's was shaking her head as they passed, saying, "Dragon liver, seventeen sickles an ounce, they're mad..."**

"Yes, I quite agree" said Lily

**A low, soft hooting came from a dark shop with a sign saying Eeylops Owl Emporium - Tawny, Screech, Barn, Brown and Snowy.**

**Several boys of about Harry's age had their noses pressed against a window with broomsticks in it. "Look," Harry heard one of them say, "the new Nimbus Two Thousand - fastest ever -"**

"Not anymore it's not" said Ron "The Firebolt is"

**There were shops selling robes, shops selling telescopes and strange silver instruments Harry had never seen before, windows stacked with barrels of bat spleens and eels' eyes, tottering piles of spell books, quills and rolls of parchment, potion bottles, globes of the moon ...**

**"Gringotts," said Hagrid.**

**They had reached a snowy-white building which towered over the other little shops. Standing beside its burnished bronze doors, wearing a uniform of scarlet and gold, was -  
"Yeah, that's a goblin," said Hagrid quietly as they walked up the white stone steps towards him.**

**The goblin was about a head shorter than Harry. He had a swarthy, clever face, a pointed beard and, Harry noticed, very long fingers and feet. He bowed as they walked inside. Now they were facing a second pair of doors, silver this time, with words engraved upon them:**

_**Enter Stranger, but take Heed  
Of what awaits the sin of greed,  
For those who take, but do not earn,  
Must pay dearly in their turn,  
So if you seek beneath floors,  
A treasure that was never yours,  
Thief, you have been warned, beware  
Of finding more than treasure there.**_

Fred, George and Ginny said the poem in time with Tonks

**"Like I said, yeh'd be mad ter try an' rob it," said Hagrid.**

**A pair of goblins bowed them through the silver doors and they were in a vast marble hall. About a hundred more goblins were sitting on high stools behind a long counter, scribbling in large ledgers, weighing coins on brass scales, examining precious stones through eyeglasses. There were too many doors to count leading off the hall, and yet more goblins were showing people in and out of these. Hagrid and Harry made for the counter.**

**"Morning," said Hagrid to a free goblin. "We've come ter take some money outta Mr. Harry Potter's safe."**

**"You have his key, sir?"**

**"Got it here somewhere," said Hagrid and he started emptying his pockets onto the counter, scattering a handful of mouldy dog-biscuits over the goblin's book of numbers. The goblin wrinkled his nose. Harry watched the goblin on their right weighing a pile of rubies as big as glowing coals.**

**"Got it," said Hagrid at last, holding up a golden key.**

**The goblin looked at it closely.**

**"That seems to be in order."**

**"An' I've also got a letter here from Professor Dumbledore," said Hagrid importantly, throwing out his chest. "It's about the You-Know-What in vault seven hundred and thirteen."**

"What's the You-Know-What?" asked James

"The Philosopher's stone" answered Dumbledore

**The** **goblin read the letter carefully.**

**"Very well," he said, handing it back to Hagrid, "I will have someone take you down to both vaults. Griphook!"**

**Griphook was yet another goblin. Once Hagrid had crammed all the dog-biscuits back inside his pockets, he and Harry followed Griphook towards one of the doors leading off the hall.**

**"What's the You-Know-What in vault seven hundred and thirteen?" Harry asked.**

**"Can't tell yeh that," said Hagrid mysteriously.**

**"Very secret. Hogwarts business. Dumbledore's trusted me. More'n my job's worth ter tell yeh that."**

**Griphook held open the door for them. Harry, who had expected to see more marble, was surprised. They were in a narrow stone passageway lit with flaming torches. It sloped steeply downwards and there were little railway tracks on the floor. Griphook whistled and a small cart came hurtling up the tracks towards them. They climbed in - Hagrid with some difficulty - and were off.**

**At first they just hurtled through a maze of twisting passages. Harry tried to remember, left, right, right, left, middle fork, right, left, but it was impossible. **

"I wouldn't be able to remember that much" said George

**The rattling cart seemed to know its own way, because Griphook wasn't steering.**

**Harry's eyes stung as the cold air rushed past them, but he kept them wide open. Once, he thought he saw a burst of fire at the end of a passage and twisted around to see if it was a dragon, but was too late. They plunged even deeper, passing an underground lake where huge stalactites and stalagmites grew from the ceiling and floor.**

**"I never know," Harry called to Hagrid over the noise of the cart, "what's the difference between a stalagmite and a stalactite?"**

"A stalactite hangs tight to the ceiling" Said McGonagall

**"Stalagmite's got an 'm' in it," said Hagrid. "An' don' ask me questions just now, I think I'm gonna be sick."**

"Well that work's to" commented Hermione

**He did look very green and when the cart stopped at last beside a small door in the passage wall, Hagrid got out and had to lean against the wall to stop his knees trembling.**

**Griphook unlocked the door. A lot of green smoke came billowing out, and as it cleared, Harry gasped.**

**Inside were mounds of gold coins. Columns of silver. Heaps of little bronze Knuts.**

**"All yours," smiled Hagrid.**

**All Harry's - it was incredible. The Dursleys couldn't have known about this or they'd have had it from him faster than blinking. How often had they complained how much Harry cost them to keep?**

"Well the Freak does cost too much to keep" said Vernon indignantly

"Yet Duddy gets anything and everything he wants" muttered Harry, everyone glared angrily at the Dursley's

**And all the time there had been a small fortune belonging to him, buried deep under London.**

**Hagrid helped Harry pile some of it into a bag.**

**"The gold ones are Galleons," he explained. "Seventeen silver Sickles to a Galleon and twenty-nine Knuts to a sickle, it's easy enough. Right, that should be enough fer a couple o' terms, we'll keep the rest safe fer yeh." He turned to Griphook. "Vault seven hundred and thirteen, now, please, and can we go more slowly?"**

**"One speed only," said Griphook.**

**They were going even deeper now and gathering speed. The air became colder and colder as they hurtled round tight corners. They went rattling over an underground ravine and Harry leant over the side to try and see what was down at the dark bottom but Hagrid groaned and pulled him back by the scruff of his neck.**

**Vault seven hundred and thirteen had no keyhole.**

**"Stand back," said Griphook importantly. He stroked the door gently with one of his long fingers and it simply melted away.**

**"If anyone but a Gringotts goblin tried that, they'd be sucked through the door and trapped in there," said Griphook.**

"Interesting" said Ron

"I suppose" said Hermione, not really agreeing with Ron

**"How often do you check to see if anyone's inside?" Harry asked.**

**"About once every ten years," said Griphook, with a rather nasty grin.**

**Something really extraordinary had to be inside this top-security vault, Harry was sure, and he leant forward eagerly, expecting to see fabulous jewels at the very least - but at first he thought it was empty.**

**Then he noticed a grubby little package wrapped up in brown paper lying on the floor. Hagrid picked it up and tucked it deep inside his coat. Harry longed to know what it was, but he knew better than to ask.**

**"Come on, back in this infernal cart, and don't talk to me on the way back, it's best if I keep me mouth shut," said Hagrid.**

**One wild cart-ride later they stood blinking in the sunlight outside Gringotts. Harry didn't know where to run first now that he had a bag full of money.**

**He didn't have to know how many Galleons there were to a pound to know that he was holding more money than he'd had in his whole life - more money than even Dudley had ever had.**

"Freaks, don't deserve money" said Vernon angrily

"Well no one asked you Dursley" growled Remus angrily

**"Might as well get yer uniform," said Hagrid, nodding towards Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions. "Listen, Harry, would yeh mind if I slipped off fer a pick-me-up in the Leaky Cauldron? Hate them Gringotts carts." He did still look a bit sick, so Harry entered Madam Malkin's shop alone, feeling nervous.**

**Madam Malkin was a squat, smiling witch dressed all in mauve.**

**"Hogwarts dear?" she said, when Harry started to speak. "Got the lot here - another young man being fitted up just now, in fact."**

**In the back of the shop, a boy with a pale, pointed face was standing on a footstool while a second witch pinned up his long black robes. **

**Madam Malkin stood Harry on a stool next to him, slipped a long robe over his head and began to pin it to the right length.**

**"Hullo," said the boy, "Hogwarts too?"**

**"Yes," said Harry.**

**"My father's next door buying my books and mother's up the street looking at wands," said the boy. He had a bored, drawling voice.**

**"Then I'm going to drag them off to look at racing brooms. I don't see why first-years can't have their own. I think I'll bully father into getting me one and I'll smuggle it in somehow."**

"Brat" someone muttered

"Yes, well that's Malfoy for you" said Harry

**Harry was strongly reminded of Dudley.**

There were a few scattered chuckles

"Comparing Malfoy to your cousin now Harry" snickered the Twins

"Yes, well their personalities are rather similar" said Harry

**"Have you got your own broom?" the boy went on.**

**"No," said Harry.**

**"Play Quidditch at all?"**

**"No," said Harry again, wondering what on earth Quidditch could be.**

**"I do - Father says it's a crime if I'm not picked to play for my house, and I must say, I agree. Know what house you'll be in yet?"**

**"No," said Harry, feeling more stupid by the minute.**

"Your not stupid Harry" said Hermione

"Thanks Hermione"

**"Well, no one really knows until they get there, do they, but I know I'll be in Slytherin, all our family have been - imagine being in Hufflepuff, I think I'd leave, wouldn't you?"**

**"Mmm," said Harry, wishing he could say something a bit more interesting.**

"Rather bored there Harry?" asked Remus

Harry nodded and replied "reminded me too much of Dudley

**"I say, look at that man!" said the boy suddenly, nodding towards the front window. Hagrid was standing there, grinning at Harry and pointing at two large ice-creams to show he couldn't come in.**

"That was nice of Hagrid" said Lily

**"That's Hagrid," said Harry, pleased to know something the boy didn't. "He works at Hogwarts."**

**"Oh," said the boy, "I've heard of him. He's a sort of servant, isn't he?"**

"No" everyone but the Dursley's said

**"He's the gamekeeper," said Harry. He was liking the boy less and less every second.**

**"Yes, exactly. I heard he's a sort of savage –**

"Hagrid is not savage" said Harry, Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Fred and George as one

**lives in a hut in the school grounds and every now and then he gets drunk, tries to do magic and ends up setting fire to his bed."**

**"I think he's brilliant," said Harry coldly.**

"Yeah Harry, you tell him" said the Twins. everyone else nodded their agreement

**"Do you?" said the boy, with a slight sneer.**

**"Why is he with you? Where are your parents?"**

"Does he not know who he's talking to?" asked Tonks

"Apparently not"

**"They're dead," said Harry shortly.** **He didn't feel much like going into the matter with this boy.**

**"Oh, sorry," said the other, not sounding sorry at all. "But they were our kind, weren't they?"**

**"They were a witch and wizard, if that's what you mean."**

**"I really don't think they should let the other sort in, do you? They're just not the same, they've never been brought up to know our ways. Some of them have never even heard of Hogwarts until they get the letter, imagine. I think they should keep it in the old wizarding families. What's your surname, anyway?"**

"None of your business" stated Harry coldly

**Before Harry could answer, Madam Malkin said, "That's you done, my dear," and Harry, not sorry for an excuse to stop talking to the boy, hopped down from the footstool.**

**"Well, I'll see you at Hogwarts, I suppose," said the drawling boy.**

**Harry was rather quiet as he ate the ice-cream Hagrid had bought him (chocolate and raspberry with chopped nuts).**

**"What's up?" said Hagrid.**

**"Nothing," Harry lied. They stopped to buy parchment and quills. Harry cheered up a bit when he found a bottle of ink that changed color as you wrote.**

**When they had left the shop, he said, "Hagrid, what's Quidditch?"**

**"Blimey, Harry, I keep forgettin' how little yeh know - not knowin' about Quidditch!"**

**"Don't make me feel worse," said Harry. He told Hagrid about the pale boy in Madam Malkin's.**

**"-and he said people from Muggle families shouldn't even be allowed in -"**

"Don't listen to him Harry" said Lily gently

**"Yer not from a Muggle family. If he'd known who yeh were - he's grown up knowin' yer name if his parents were wizardin' folk - you saw 'em in the Leaky Cauldron. Anyway, what does he know about it, some o' the best I ever saw were the only ones with magic in 'em in a long line o' Muggles - look at yer mum!** **Look at what she had fer a sister!"**

"Yeah look at Lily" said James and Sirius

**"So what is Quidditch?"**

"**It's our sport, wizard sport. It's like - like football in the Muggle world - everyone follows Quidditch - played up in the air on broomsticks and there's four balls - sorta hard ter explain the rules."**

"There's more to it than that" stated Ron aghast at the thought of someone not being able to explain Quidditch.

**"And what are Slytherin and Hufflepuff?"**

**"School houses. There are four. Everyone says Hufflepuff are a lot o' duffers, but -"**

**"I bet I'm in Hufflepuff," said Harry gloomily.**

**"Better Hufflepuff than Slytherin," said Hagrid darkly. "There's not a single witch or wizard who went bad who wasn't in Slytherin. You-Know-Who was one."**

"That's not true" said Hermione "all Slytherin's aren't necessarily Death Eaters and, all Death Eaters aren't Slytherin's"

**"Vol - sorry - You-Know-Who was at Hogwarts?"**

**"Years an' years ago," said Hagrid.**

**They bought Harry's school books in a shop called Flourish and Blotts where the shelves were stacked to the ceiling with books as large as paving stones bound in leather; books the size of postage stamps in covers of silk; books full of peculiar symbols and a few books with nothing in them at all. Even Dudley, who never read anything, would have been wild to get his hands on some of these.**

**Hagrid almost had to drag Harry away from Curses and Counter-Curses (Bewitch your Friends and Befuddle your Enemies with the Latest Revenges: Hair Loss, Jelly-Legs, Tongue-Tying and much, much more) by Professor Vindictus Viridian.**

**"I was trying to find out how to curse Dudley."**

A few people laughed at that

"I see there's a little Marauder in you Harry" said James

"Yeah a little" was Harry's reply.

**"I'm not sayin' that's not a good idea, but yer not ter use magic in the Muggle world except in very special circumstances," said Hagrid. "An' anyway, yeh couldn' work any of them curses yet, yeh'll need a lot more study before yeh get ter that level."**

**Hagrid wouldn't let Harry buy a solid gold cauldron, either ("It says pewter on yer list"),**

"It's ok Harry" said Lily "I liked the solid gold one's as well"

"Me too" said Hermione

**but they got a nice set of brass scales for weighing potion ingredients and a collapsible brass telescope. Then they visited the apothecary's, which was fascinating enough to make up for its horrible smell, a mixture of bad eggs and rotted cabbages.**

"Yes, I agree there Harry, the Apothecary does smell rather foul" said Ginny

**Barrels of slimy stuff stood on the floor, jars of herbs, dried roots and bright powders lined the walls, bundles of feathers, strings of fangs and snarled claws hung from the ceiling. While Hagrid asked the man behind the counter for a supply of some basic potion ingredients for Harry, Harry himself examined silver unicorn horns at twenty-one Galleons each and minuscule, glittery black beetle eyes (five knuts a scoop).**

**Outside the apothecary's, Hagrid checked Harry's list again.**

**"Just yer wand left - oh yeah, an' I still haven't got yeh a birthday present."**

"That was nice of Hagrid" said Mrs Weasley

**Harry felt himself go red.**

**"You don't have to -"**

**"I know I don't have to. Tell yeh what, I'll get yer an animal. Not a toad, toads went outta fashion years ago, yeh'd be laughed at -an' I don' like cats, they make me sneeze. I'll get yer an owl. All the kids want owls, they're dead useful, carry yer post an' everythin'."**

"I didn't know that Hagrid got you Hedwig Harry" commented Ginny

"He did" replied Harry

**Twenty minutes later, they left Eeylops Owl Emporium, which had been dark and full of rustling and flickering, jewel-bright eyes. Harry now carried a large cage which held a beautiful snowy owl, fast asleep with her head under her wing. He couldn't stop stammering his thanks, sounding just like Professor Quirrell.**

**"Don' mention it, said Hagrid gruffly. "Don' expect you've had a lotta presents from them Dursleys.**

"No" mumbled Harry

**Just Ollivanders left now - only place fer wands, Ollivanders, and yeh gotta have the best wand."**

**A magic wand... this was what Harry had been really looking forward to.**

**The last shop was narrow and shabby. Peeling gold letters over the door read Ollivanders: Makers of Fine Wands since 382 BC. A single wand lay on a faded purple cushion in the dusty window.**

**A tinkling bell rang somewhere in the depths of the shop as they stepped inside. It was a tiny place, empty for a single spindly chair which Hagrid sat on to wait. Harry felt strangely as though he'd entered a very strict library; he swallowed a lot of new questions which had just occurred to him and looked instead at the thousands of narrow boxes piled neatly right up to the ceiling. For some reason, the back of his neck prickled. The very dust and silence in here seemed to tingle with some secret magic.**

**"Good afternoon," said a soft voice. Harry jumped. Hagrid must have jumped, too, because there was a loud crunching noise and he got quickly off the spindly chair.**

**An old man was standing before them, his wide, pale eyes shining like moons through the gloom of the shop.**

"Ollivander" chorused Fred and George quite unnecessarily

"Yes, we know" said Ginny rolling her eyes

**"Hello," said Harry awkwardly.**

**"Ah yes," said the man. "Yes, yes. I thought I'd be seeing you soon. Harry Potter." It wasn't a question.**

**"You have your mother's eyes. It seems only yesterday she was in here herself, buying her first wand. Ten and a quarter inches long, swishy, made of willow.**

"He remembers that?" asked Lily

"It seems so" commented Tonks

**Nice wand for charm work."**

**Mr. Ollivander moved closer to Harry. Harry wished he would blink. Those silvery eyes were a bit creepy.**

"Yes they are" agreed Hermione

**"Your father, on the other hand, favored a mahogany wand. Eleven inches. Pliable. A little more power and excellent for transfiguration.**

"That's right" exclaimed James, everyone rolled their eyes

**Well, I say your father favored it- it's really the wand that chooses the wizard , of course."**

"Really?" asked Ron

"Yes Ron" replied Hermione "honestly don't you read at all"

**Mr Ollivander had come so close that he and Harry were almost nose to nose. Harry could see himself reflected in those misty eyes.**

**"And that's where..." Mr. Ollivander touched the lightning scar on Harry's forehead with a long, white finger.**

"Did he really have to" muttered Harry

**"I'm sorry to say that I sold the wand that did it," he said softly."Thirteen and a half inches. Yew. Powerful wand, very powerful, and in the wrong hands... Well, if I'd known what that wand was going out in the world to do..."**

"How does he remember all of that?" asked Mrs Weasley

"I don't know" replied Dumbledore

**He shook his head and then, to Harry's relief, spotted Hagrid.**

**"Rubeus! Rubeus Hagrid! How nice to see you again... Oak, sixteen inches, rather bendy, wasn't it?"**

**"It was, sir, yes," said Hagrid.**

**"Good wand, that one. But I suppose they snapped it in half when you got expelled?" said Mr. Ollivander, suddenly stern.**

**"Er - yes, they did, yes," said Hagrid, shuffling his feet. "I've still got the pieces, though," he added brightly.**

"Yeah concealed in his umbrella" added Ron

**"But you don't use them?" said Mr. Ollivander sharply.**

"Oh no of course not" said Fred and George sarcastically

**"Oh, no, sir," said Hagrid quickly. Harry noticed he gripped his pink umbrella very tightly as he spoke.**

**"Hmmm," said Mr. Ollivander, giving Hagrid a piercing look. "Well, now - Mr. Potter. Let me see."** **He pulled a long tape measure with silver marking out of his pocket. "Which is your wand arm?"**

**"Er - well, I'm right-handed," said Harry.**

**"Hold out your arm. That's it." He measured Harry from shoulder to finger, then wrist to elbow, shoulder to floor, knee to armpit and round his head.**

**As he measured, he said, "Every Ollivander wand has a core of a powerful magical substance, Mr. Potter. We use unicorn hairs, phoenix tail feathers and the heartstrings of dragons. No two Ollivander wands are the same, just as no two unicorns or dragons or phoenixes are quite the same. And of course, you will never get such good results with another wizard's wand."**

"I didn't know that" said Ginny

"Neither did I" commented Ron

**Harry suddenly realized that the tape measure, which was measuring between his nostrils, was doing this on its own. Mr. Ollivander was flitting around the shelves, taking down boxes.**

**"That will do," he said, and the tape measure crumpled into a heap on the floor. "Right then, Mr. Potter. Try this one. Beechwood and dragon heartstring. Nine inches. Nice and flexible. Just take it and give it a wave."**

**Harry took the wand and (feeling foolish) waved it around a bit, but Mr. Ollivander took it out of his hand almost at once.**

**"Maple and phoenix feather. Seven inches. Quite whippy. Try -"**

**Harry tried - but he had hardly raised it when it, too, was snatched back by Mr. Ollivander.**

**"No, no - here, ebony and unicorn hair, eight and a half inches, springy. Go on, go on, try it out."**

**Harry tried. And tried. He had no idea what Mr. Ollivander was waiting for. The pile of tried wands was mounting higher and higher on the spindly chair, but the more wands Mr. Ollivander pulled from the shelves, the happier he seemed to become.**

"Odd that one is" said Ron

**"Tricky customer, eh? Not to worry, we'll find the perfect match here somewhere - I wonder, now - yes, why not - unusual combination - holly and phoenix feather, eleven inches, nice and supple."**

**Harry took the wand. He felt a sudden warmth in his fingers.**

**He raised the wand above his head, brought it swishing down through the dusty air and a stream of red and gold sparks shot from the end like a firework, throwing dancing spots of light on the walls.**

**Hagrid whooped and clapped and Mr. Ollivander cried, "Oh, bravo! Yes, indeed, oh, very good. Well, well, well... how curious... how very curious..."**

"What's curious?" asked Sirius at the same time as Harry groaned

"The Phoenix, whose tail feather is in Harry's wand, gave another feather, and the owner of that other wand is Voldemort" said Dumbledore, everyone but Harry were rather shocked by that

"So, let me get this straight" said Remus "Harry here is the only one able to kill Voldemort, and they have brother wands" Dumbledore nodded, then signalled for Tonks to continue reading

**He put Harry's wand back into its box and wrapped it in brown paper, still muttering,**

**"Curious... curious..."**

**"Sorry," said Harry, "but what's curious?"**

**Mr. Ollivander fixed Harry with his pale stare.**

**"I remember every wand I've ever sold, Mr. Potter.**

"Wow" said Lily "that's a lot of wands"

**Every single wand. It so happens that the phoenix whose tail feather is in your wand, gave another feather - just one other. It is very curious indeed that you should be destined for this wand when its brother - why, its brother gave you that scar."**

**Harry swallowed.**

**"Yes, thirteen and a half inches. Yew. Curious indeed how these things happen. The wand chooses the wizard, remember... I think we must expect great things from you, Mr. potter... After all, He Who Must Not Be Named did great things - terrible, yes, but great."**

**Harry shivered. He wasn't sure he liked Mr. Ollivander too much. **

"Don't worry Harry, neither would I after a comment like that" said Ginny

**He paid seven gold Galleons for his wand and Mr. Ollivander bowed them from his shop**.

**The late-afternoon sun hung low in the sky as Harry and Hagrid made their way back down Diagon Alley, back through the wall, back through the Leaky Cauldron, now empty. Harry didn't speak at all as they walked down the road; he didn't even notice how much people were gawping at them on the Underground, laden as they were with all their funny-shaped packages, with the sleeping snowy owl on Harry's lap.**

"Yes, that would have looked rather odd" said Moony

**Up another escalator, out into Paddington station; Harry only realized where they were when Hagrid tapped him on the shoulder.**

**"Got time fer a bite to eat before yer train leaves," he said. ****He bought Harry a hamburger and they sat down on plastic seats to eat them.** **Harry kept looking around. Everything looked so strange, somehow.**

"Yes" agreed Hermione "spending the day in Diagon Alley, does make muggle London look strange"

**"You all right, Harry? Yer very quiet," said Hagrid.**

**Harry wasn't sure he could explain. He'd just had the best birthday of his life - and yet - he chewed his hamburger, trying to find the words.**

**"Everyone thinks I'm special," he said at last. "All those people in the Leaky Cauldron, Professor Quirrell, Mr. Ollivander ... but I don't know anything about magic at all. How can they expect great things?** **I'm famous and I can't even remember what I'm famous for. I don't know what happened when Vol- sorry - I mean, the night my parents died."**

"I do now" Harry mumbled

**Hagrid leant across the table. Behind the wild beard and eyebrows he wore a very kind smile.**

**"Don' you worry, Harry. You'll learn fast enough. Everyone starts at the beginning at Hogwarts, you'll be just fine. Just be yerself. I know it's hard. Yeh've been singled out, an' that's always hard. But yeh'll have a great time at Hogwarts - I did - still do, 'smatter of fact."**

"That's good advice" commented Hermione

"No it's not" disagreed Dudley

"No one asked you" said Ron before asking Tonks to continue reading.

**Hagrid helped Harry on to the train that would take him back to the Dursleys, then handed him an envelope.**

**"Yer ticket fer Hogwarts," he said. "First o' September - King's Cross - it's all on yer ticket. Any problems with the Dursleys, send me a letter with yer owl, she'll know where to find me... See yer soon, Harry."**

**The train pulled out of the station. Harry wanted to watch Hagrid until he was out of sight; he rose in his seat and pressed his nose against the window, but he blinked and Hagrid had gone.**

"That's it" said Tonks "who wants to read next"

"I will" volunteered James, so Tonks handed the book to James

* * *

**A/N: Sorry i took so long to update, i try to get the next chapter up quicker, but this story has not been abandoned nor i plan to abandon it, Please review and let me know what you thought of this chapter.**

**Padfoot-Moony-an-Prongs**


	7. The Journey From Platform Nine And Three

James picked up the book and started reading

_**CHAPTER SIX THE JOURNEY FROM PLATFORM NINE AND THREE QUARTERS**_

**Harry's last month with the Dursleys wasn't fun. **

"Since when do Fun and Dursley's go together?" asked Ginny

"Don't know" replied Harry

**True, Dudley was now so scared of Harry he wouldn't stay in the same room, while Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon didn't shut Harry in his cupboard, force him to do anything or shout at him – in fact, they didn't speak to him at all. Half terrified, half furious, they acted as though any chair with Harry in it was empty. Although this was an improvement in many ways, it did become a bit depressing after a while.**

"Yes it would" agreed Hermione; everyone except for the Dursley's nodded their agreement

**Harry kept to his room, with his new owl for company. He had decided to call her Hedwig, a name he had found in **_**A History of Magic. **_**His school books were very interesting. **

"You actually read your school books?" asked Ron

"A little" admitted Harry "I got rather bored with nothing really to do"

**He lay on his bed reading late into the night, Hedwig swooping in and out of the open window as she pleased. It was lucky that Aunt Petunia didn't come in to Hoover any more, because Hedwig kept bringing back dead mice. Every night before he went to sleep Harry ticked off another day on the piece of paper he had pinned to the wall, counting down to September the first.**

**On the last day of August he thought he'd better speak to his Aunt and Uncle about getting to King's Cross station next day, so he went down to the living –room where they were watching a quiz show on television. He cleared his throat to let them know he was there, and Dudley screamed and ran from the room.**

"**Er – Uncle Vernon?"**

**Uncle Vernon grunted to show he was listening.**

"You could have said something you know" commented Ginny

"**Er – I need to be at King's Cross tomorrow to – to go to Hogwarts."**

**Uncle Vernon grunted again.**

"Is he a pig?" questioned Fred, The Dursley's glared angrily at Fred whilst everyone else simply looked amused

"**Would it be all right if you gave me lift?"**

"It better be" stated Lily

**Grunt. Harry supposed that meant yes.**

"It better mean yes" said James

"**Thank you" He was about to go back upstairs when Uncle Vernon actually spoke.**

"**Funny way to get to a wizards' school, the train. Magic carpets all got punctures, have they?"**

"No they are kind of sort of illegal" said Ron

**Harry didn't say anything.**

"**Where is this school, anyway?"**

"Somewhere in Scotland" answered Tonks

"**I don't know," said Harry, realizing this for the first time. He pulled the ticket Hagrid had given him out of his pocket.**

"**I just take the train from platform nine and three quarters at eleven o'clock" he read. His Aunt and Uncle stared.**

"**Platform what?"**

"Nine and Three quarters" stated Fred and George quite unnecessarily

"**Nine and three quarters."**

"**Don't talk rubbish ," said Uncle Vernon, "There is no platform nine and three quarters."**

"There is to" said Lily glaring at Petunia "and Petunia should know that"

"Like I was going to show the Freak anything" said Petunia, everyone glared angrily at the Dursley's

"**It's on my ticket."**

"**Barking," said Uncle Vernon, "howling mad, the lot of them. You'll see. You just wait. All right, we'll take you to King's Cross. We're going up to London tomorrow anyway, or I wouldn't bother.'**

Everyone glared angrily at the Dursleys

"**Why are you going to London?" asked Harry, trying to keep things friendly.**

"**Taking Dudley to hospital,' growled Uncle Vernon. "got to have that ruddy tail removed before he goes to Smeltings."**

"Aww" whined Fred and George "you should have left it there"

**Harry woke at five o'clock the next morning and was too excited and nervous to go back to sleep. He got up and pulled on his jeans because he didn't want to walk into the station in his wizard's robes — he'd change on the train. He checked his Hogwarts list yet again to make sure he had everything he needed, saw that Hedwig was shut safely in her cage, and then paced the room, waiting for the Dursleys to get up. **

**Two hours later, Harry's huge, heavy trunk had been loaded into the Dursleys' car, Aunt Petunia had talked Dudley into sitting next to Harry, and they had set off. **

**They reached King's Cross at half past ten. Uncle Vernon dumped Harry's trunk onto a cart and wheeled it into the station for him. Harry thought this was strangely kind until Uncle Vernon stopped dead, facing the platforms with a nasty grin on his face. **

"**Well, there you are, boy. Platform nine — platform ten. Your platform should be somewhere in the middle, but they don't seem to have built it yet, do they?" **

"It is there, and Petunia knows that" stated Lily angrily

Everyone glared angrily at the Dursley's

**He was quite right, of course. There was a big plastic number nine over one platform and a big plastic number ten over the one next to it, and in the middle, nothing at all. **

"**Have a good term," said Uncle Vernon with an even nastier smile. He left without another word. Harry turned and saw the Dursleys drive away. All three of them were laughing. Harry's mouth went rather dry. What on earth was he going to do? He was starting to attract a lot of funny looks, because of Hedwig. He'd have to ask someone. He stopped a passing guard, but didn't dare mention platform nine and three-quarters. **

**The guard had never heard of Hogwarts and when Harry couldn't even tell him what part of the country it was in, he started to get annoyed, as though Harry was being stupid on purpose. Getting desperate, Harry asked for the train that left at eleven o'clock, but the guard said there wasn't one. In the end the guard strode away, muttering about time wasters. Harry was now trying hard not to panic. According to the large clock over the arrivals board, he had ten minutes left to get on the train to Hogwarts and he had no idea how to do it; he was stranded in the middle of a station with a trunk he could hardly lift, a pocket full of wizard money, and a large owl. **

**Hagrid must have forgotten to tell him something you had to do, like tapping the third brick on the left to get into Diagon Alley. He wondered if he should get out his wand and start tapping the ticket inspector's stand between platforms nine and ten.**

"No" said Hermione "that's not a very good idea"

"I know" said Harry "but I had no idea what to do"

**At that moment a group of people passed just behind him and he caught a few words of what they were saying. **

"— **packed with Muggles, of course —" **

"That would be us" said Ginny

**Harry swung round. The speaker was a plump woman who was talking to four boys, all with flaming red hair. Each of them was pushing a trunk like Harry's in front of him — and they had an **_**owl**_**. Heart hammering, Harry pushed his cart after them. They stopped and so did he, just near enough to hear what they were saying. **

"**Now, what's the platform number?" said the boys' mother. **

"**Nine and three-quarters!" piped a small girl, also red-headed, who was holding her hand, "Mum, can't I go…"**

Ginny blushed

"**You're not old enough, Ginny, now be quiet. All right, Percy, you go first." What looked like the oldest boy marched toward platforms nine and ten. **

**Harry watched, careful not to blink in case he missed it — but just as the boy reached the dividing barrier between the two platforms, a large crowd of tourists came swarming in front of him and by the time the last backpack had cleared away, the boy had vanished. **

"Well that's bad luck" said Tonks

"**Fred, you next," the plump woman said. **

"**I'm not Fred, I'm George," said the boy. "Honestly, woman, you call yourself our mother? Can't you **_**tell **_**I'm George?"**

Everyone except the Dursley's laughed

"**Sorry, George, dear." **

"**Only joking, I am Fred," said the boy, and off he went. His twin called after him to hurry up, and he must have done so, because a second later, he had gone — but how had he done it? Now the third brother was walking briskly toward the barrier he was almost there — and then, quite suddenly, he wasn't anywhere. There was nothing else for it. **

"**Excuse me," Harry said to the plump woman. **

"**Hello, dear," she said. "First time at Hogwarts? Ron's new, too."** **She pointed at the last and youngest of her sons. He was tall, thin, and gangling, with freckles, big hands and feet, and a long nose. **

"Very flattering description Ron" said the Twins

"**Yes," said Harry. "The thing is — the thing is, I don't know how to —" **

"**How to get onto the platform?" she said kindly, and Harry nodded. **

"**Not to worry," she said. "All you have to do is walk straight at the barrier between platforms nine and ten. Don't stop and don't be scared you'll crash into it, that's very important. Best do it at a bit of a run if you're nervous. Go on, go now before Ron." **

"**Er — okay," said Harry. He pushed his trolley around and stared at the barrier. It looked very solid. He started to walk toward it. People jostled him on their way to platforms nine and ten. Harry walked more quickly. He was going to smash right into that barrier and then he'd be in trouble — leaning forward on his cart, he broke into a heavy run — the barrier was coming nearer and nearer — he wouldn't be able to stop — the cart was out of control — he was a foot away — he closed his eyes ready for the crash — **

**It didn't come… he kept on running… he opened his eyes. A scarlet steam engine was waiting next to a platform packed with people. A sign overhead said **_**Hogwarts' Express, eleven o'clock**_**. Harry looked behind him and saw a wrought-iron archway where the barrier had been, with the words **_**Platform Nine and Three-Quarters **_**on it, He had done it. **

"You can't crash into the barrier you know" said Sirius

"You know, I seem to recall" started Fred

"That, Harry and Ron managed to do just that before their second year" finished George, everyone who didn't already know that stared at Harry and Ron, both of whom were bright red in embarrassment

"Did you really?" asked Tonks

"Yes" said Harry still rather embarrassed before asking his father to continue reading

**Smoke from the engine drifted over the heads of the chattering crowd, while cats of every color wound here and there between their legs. Owls hooted to one another in a disgruntled sort of way over the babble and the scraping of heavy trunks. **

**The first few carriages were already packed with students, some hanging out of the window to talk to their families, some fighting over seats. Harry pushed his cart off down the platform in search of an empty seat. He passed a round-faced boy who was saying, "Gran, I've lost my toad again." **

"You know" said Harry thoughtfully "I reckon that Trevor is constantly escaping not getting lost" Ron nodded agreeing with Harry

"**Oh, **_**Neville**_**," he heard the old woman sigh. **

**A boy with dreadlocks was surrounded by a small crowd. **

"**Give us a look, Lee, go on." The boy lifted the lid of a box in his arms, and the people around him shrieked and yelled as something inside poked out a long, hairy leg. **

Ron shuddered

"I don't like spiders"

**Harry pressed on through the crowd until he found an empty compartment near the end of the train. He put Hedwig inside first and then started to shove and heave his trunk toward the train door. He tried to lift it up the steps but could hardly raise one end and twice he dropped it painfully on his foot. **

"Ouch" said Ginny "that would hurt"

"It did" agreed Harry

"**Want a hand?" It was one of the red-haired twins he'd followed through the barrier. **

"**Yes, please," Harry panted. **

"**Oy, Fred! C'mere and help!" With the twins' help, Harry's trunk was at last tucked away in a corner of the compartment. **

"**Thanks," said Harry, pushing his sweaty hair out of his eyes. **

"**What's that?" said one of the twins suddenly, pointing at Harry's lightning scar. **

"**Blimey," said the other twin. "Are you —?" **

"**He is," said the first twin. "Aren't you?" he added to Harry. **

"**What?" said Harry. **

"Real intelligent there Harry" joked Ginny

"_**Harry Potter**_**." chorused the twins. **

"**Oh, him," said Harry** "**I mean, yes, I am." **

Everyone looked at Harry amused

**The two boys gawked at him, and Harry felt himself turning red. Then, to his relief, a voice came floating in through the train's open door. **

"**Fred? George? Are you there?" **

"**Coming, Mum." With a last look at Harry, the twins hopped off the train. **

**Harry sat down next to the window where, half hidden, he could watch the red-haired family on the platform and hear what they were saying. Their mother had just taken out her handkerchief. **

"**Ron, you've got something on your nose." **

"You were told about that twice" said Hermione shaking her head seemingly amused

**The youngest boy tried to jerk out of the way, but she grabbed him and began rubbing the end of his nose. **

"_**Mum**_**— geroff" He wriggled free. **

"**Aaah, has ickle Ronnie got somefink on his nosie?" said one of the twins. **

"**Shut up," said Ron. **

"**Where's Percy?" said their mother. **

"**He's coming now." The oldest boy came striding into sight. He had already changed into his billowing black Hogwarts robes, and Harry noticed a red and gold badge on his chest with the letter **_**P **_**on it. **

"**Can't stay long, Mother," he said. "I'm up front, the prefects have got two compartments to themselves —" **

"**Oh, are you a **_**prefect**_**, Percy?" said one of the twins, with an air of great surprise. "You should have said something, we had no idea." **

Everyone except Mrs. Weasley and the Dursley's were slightly amused

"**Hang on, I think I remember him saying something about it," said the other twin. "Once" **

"**Or twice —" **

"**A minute —" **

"**All summer —" **

A few people laughed

"**Oh, shut up," said Percy the Prefect. **

"**How come Percy gets new robes, anyway?" said one of the twins. **

"**Because he's a **_**prefect**_**," said their mother fondly. "All right, dear, well, have a good term — send me an owl when you get there." She kissed Percy on the cheek and he left. Then she turned to the twins. **

"Ah" said one Twin

"The warning" finished the other

"What Warning?" asked Tonks

"You'll see" said George

"**Now, you two — this year, you behave yourselves. If I get one more owl telling me you've — you've blown up a toilet or —"**

"**Blown up a toilet? We've never blown up a toilet." **

"**Great idea though, thanks, Mum." **

Almost everyone laughed

"**It's **_**not funny**_**. And look after Ron." **

"**Don't worry, ickle Ronniekins is safe with us." **

"**Shut up," said Ron again. He was almost as tall as the twins already and his nose was still pink where his mother had rubbed it. **

"**Hey, Mum, guess what? Guess who we just met on the train?" Harry leaned back quickly so they couldn't see him looking. **

"**You know that black-haired boy who was near us in the station? Know who he is?" **

"Harry" chorused the twins, Harry just rolled his eyes

"**Who?" **

"_**Harry Potter**_**!" Harry heard the little girl's voice. **

"**Oh, Mum, can I go on the train and see him, Mum, oh please…"**

Ginny blushed

"I think it was kinda cute actually" commented Harry causing Ginny to blush further

"**You've already seen him, Ginny, and the poor boy isn't something you goggle at in a zoo. Is he really, Fred? How do you know?" **

"**Asked him. Saw his scar. It's really there — like lightning." **

"**Poor **_**dear **_**— no wonder he was alone, I wondered. He was ever so polite when he asked how to get onto the platform." **

"**Never mind that, do you think he remembers what You-Know-Who looks like?" **

"No" said Harry "I didn't"

**Their mother suddenly became very stern. **

"**I forbid you to ask him, Fred. No, don't you dare. As though he needs reminding of that on his first day at school." **

"**All right, keep your hair on." A whistle sounded. **

"**Hurry up!" their mother said, and the three boys clambered onto the train. They leaned out of the window for her to kiss them good-bye, and their younger sister began to cry. **

"**Don't, Ginny, we'll send you loads of owls." **

"**We'll send you a Hogwarts' toilet seat." **

Almost everyone laughed

"_**George!**_**" **

"**Only joking, Mum." **

"You know" said George "we actually did blow up a toilet"

"Tried to send it to Harry at the end of the year too" added Fred, a few people smiled amusedly

**The train began to move. Harry saw the boys' mother waving and their sister, half laughing, half crying, running to keep up with the train until it gathered too much speed, then she fell back and waved. **

**Harry watched the girl and her mother disappear as the train rounded the corner. Houses flashed past the window. Harry felt a great leap of excitement. He didn't know what he was going to — but it had to be better than what he was leaving behind. **

"Almost anything is better than what I was leaving behind" said Harry, everyone glared angrily at the Dursley's

"Ungrateful Freak" said Vernon

"Harry is not ungrateful and he most certainly is not a Freak" said Mrs. Weasley angrily

**The door of the compartment slid open and the youngest redheaded boy came in. **

"Me" said Ron quite unnecessarily

"**Anyone sitting there?" he asked, pointing at the seat opposite Harry. "Everywhere else is full." **

**Harry shook his head and the boy sat down. He glanced at Harry and then looked quickly out of the window, pretending he hadn't looked. Harry saw he still had a black mark on his nose. **

Hermione shook her head

"**Hey, Ron." The twins were back. **

"**Listen, we're going down the middle of the train — Lee Jordan's got a giant tarantula down there." **

"Stupid spider" muttered Ron

"**Right," mumbled Ron. **

"**Harry," said the other twin, "did we introduce ourselves? Fred and George Weasley. And this is Ron, our brother. See you later, then." **

"**Bye," said Harry and Ron. The twins slid the compartment door shut behind them. **

"**Are you really Harry Potter?" Ron blurted out. Harry nodded. **

"**Oh — well, I thought it might be one of Fred and George's jokes," said Ron. "And have you really got — you know…" He pointed at Harry's forehead. **

"Didn't your mother tell you not to ask about that?" asked Tonks

"Well technically she told Fred and George not to ask" said Harry

**Harry pulled back his bangs to show the lightning scar. Ron stared. **

"**So that's where You-Know-Who —?"**

"**Yes," said Harry, "but I can't remember it." **

"**Nothing?" said Ron eagerly. **

"**Well — I remember a lot of green light, but nothing else." **

"**Wow," said Ron. He sat and stared at Harry for a few moments, then, as though he had suddenly realized what he was doing, he looked quickly out of the window again. **

"**Are all your family wizards?" asked Harry, who found Ron just as interesting as Ron found him. **

"**Er — Yes, I think so," said Ron. "I think Mom's got a second cousin who's an accountant, but we never talk about him."**

"Why not?" asked Harry

"He doesn't like us so we don't talk to him much" said Ginny

"**So you must know loads of magic already." The Weasleys were clearly one of those old wizarding families the pale boy in Diagon Alley had talked about. **

"**I heard you went to live with Muggles," said Ron. "What are they like?" **

"**Horrible — well, not all of them. My aunt and uncle and cousin are, though. Wish I'd had three wizard brothers." **

"**Five," said Ron. For some reason, he was looking gloomy. "I'm the sixth in our family to go to Hogwarts. **

"So all your brother's are older?" asked Moony

"Yes" said Mrs. Weasley "Bill, he's the oldest works for Gringotts, Charlie works with Dragons in Romania, Percy works for the ministry and the Twin Fred and George left school last year and are going to open a joke shop"

**You could say I've got a lot to live up to. Bill and Charlie have already left — Bill was head boy and Charlie was captain of Quidditch. Now Percy's a prefect. Fred and George mess around a lot, but they still get really good marks and everyone thinks they're really funny. Everyone expects me to do as well as the others, but if I do, it's no big deal, because they did it first. You never get anything new, either, with five brothers. I've got Bill's old robes, Charlie's old wand, and Percy's old rat." **

"Stupid Rat" muttered Ron

**Ron reached inside his jacket and pulled out a fat gray rat, which was asleep.**

"**His name's Scabbers and he's useless, he hardly ever wakes up. Percy got an owl from my dad for being made a prefect, but they couldn't aff — I mean, I got Scabbers instead." Ron's ears went pink. He seemed to think he'd said too much, because he went back to staring out of the window. **

**Harry didn't think there was anything wrong with not being able to afford an owl. After all, he'd never had any money in his life until a month ago, and he told Ron so, all about having to wear Dudley's old clothes and never getting proper birthday presents. This seemed to cheer Ron up. **

"… **and until Hagrid told me, I didn't know anything about being a wizard or about my parents or Voldemort —" **

**Ron gasped. **

"**What?" said Harry. **

"_**You said You-Know-Who's name!**_**" said Ron, sounding both shocked and impressed. "I'd have thought you, of all people —" **

"Fear of a name increases fear of the thing itself" Said Harry

"Well said Harry" commented the Twins

"**I'm not trying to be **_**brave **_**or anything, saying the name," said Harry, "I just never knew you shouldn't. See what I mean? I've got loads to learn… I bet," he added, voicing for the first time something that had been worrying him a lot lately, "I bet I'm the worst in the class." **

"**You won't be. There's loads of people who come from Muggle families and they learn quick enough." While they had been talking, the train had carried them out of London. Now they were speeding past fields full of cows and sheep. They were quiet for a time, watching the fields and lanes flick past. **

**Around half past twelve there was a great clattering outside in the corridor and a smiling, dimpled woman slid back their door and said, "Anything off the cart, dears?" **

**Harry, who hadn't had any breakfast, leapt to his feet, but Ron's ears went pink again and he muttered that he'd brought sandwiches. Harry went out into the corridor. He had never had any money for candy with the Dursleys, and now that he had pockets rattling with gold and silver he was ready to buy as many Mars Bars as he could carry — but the woman didn't have Mars Bars. What she did have were Bettie Bott's Every Flavor Beans, Drooble's Best Blowing Gum, Chocolate Frogs. Pumpkin Pasties, Cauldron Cakes, Licorice Wands, and a number of other strange things Harry had never seen in his life. Not wanting to miss anything, he got some of everything and paid the woman eleven silver Sickles and seven bronze Knuts. **

**Ron stared as Harry brought it all back in to the compartment and tipped it onto an empty seat. **

"**Hungry, are you?" **

"**Starving," said Harry, taking a large bite out of a pumpkin pasty. **

**Ron had taken out a lumpy package and unwrapped it. There were four sandwiches inside. He pulled one of them apart and said, "She always forgets I don't like corned beef…" **

"**Swap you for one of these," said Harry, holding up a pasty. "Go on —" **

"That was nice of you" said James

"**You don't want this, it's all dry," said Ron. "She hasn't got much time," he added quickly, "you know, with five of us." **

"**Go on, have a pasty," said Harry, who had never had anything to share before or, indeed, anyone to share it with. It was a nice feeling, sitting there with Ron, eating their way through all Harry's pasties, cakes, and candies (the sandwiches lay forgotten). **

"**What are these?" Harry asked Ron, holding up a pack of Chocolate Frogs. "They're not **_**really **_**frogs, are they?" He was starting to feel that nothing would surprise him. **

"Yet somethings still do occasionally" said Harry

"**No," said Ron. "But see what the card is. I'm missing Agrippa." **

"I still am" commented Ron

"**What?" **

"**Oh, of course, you wouldn't know — Chocolate Frogs have cards, inside them, you know, to collect — famous witches and wizards. I've got about five hundred, but I haven't got Agrippa or Ptolemy." **

"Still don't have him either" said Ron

"Neither do we" commented the Twins together

**Harry unwrapped his Chocolate Frog and picked up the card. It showed a man's face. He wore half-moon glasses, had a long, crooked nose, and flowing silver hair, beard, and mustache. Underneath the picture was the name Albus Dumbledore. **

"**So **_**this **_**is Dumbledore!" said Harry. **

"**Don't tell me you'd never heard of Dumbledore!" said Ron. "Can I have a frog? I might get Agrippa — thanks —" **

**Harry turned over his card and read: **

_**ALBUS DUMBLEDORE **_

_**CURRENTLY HEADMASTER OF HOGWARTS **_

_**Considered by many the greatest wizard of modern times, Dumbledore is particularly famous for his defeat of the dark wizard Grindelwald in 1945, for the discovery of the twelve uses of dragon's blood, and his work on alchemy with his partner, Nicolas Flamel. Professor Dumbledore enjoys chamber music and tenpin bowling. **_

**Harry turned the card back over and saw, to his astonishment, that Dumbledore's face had disappeared. **

"**He's gone!" **

"Well, you can't expect him to hang around all day" said Sirius

"**Well, you can't expect him to hang around all day," said Ron. **

A few people laughed

"**He'll be back. No, I've got Morgana again and I've got about six of her… do you want it? You can start collecting." **

**Ron's eyes strayed to the pile of Chocolate Frogs waiting to be unwrapped. "Help yourself," said Harry. "But in, you know, the Muggle world, people just stay put in photos." **

"**Do they? What, they don't move at all?" Ron sounded amazed. **_**"Weird!" **_

**Harry stared as Dumbledore sidled back into the picture on his card and gave him a small smile. Ron was more interested in eating the frogs than looking at the Famous Witches and Wizards cards, but Harry couldn't keep his eyes off them. Soon he had not only Dumbledore and Morgana, but Hengist of Woodcroft, Alberic Grunnion, Circe, Paracelsus, and Merlin. He finally tore his eyes away from the Druidess Cliodna, who was scratching her nose, to open a bag of Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans. **

"**You want to be careful with those," Ron warned Harry. "When they say every flavor, they **_**mean **_**every flavor — you know, you get all the ordinary ones like chocolate and peppermint and marmalade, but then you can get spinach and liver and tripe. George reckons he had a booger-flavored one once." **

"Well I did" said George

"So did I" said Fred

**Ron picked up a green bean, looked at it carefully, and bit into a corner. **

"**Bleaaargh — see? Sprouts." **

**They had a good time eating the Every Flavor Beans. Harry got toast, coconut, baked bean, strawberry, curry, grass, coffee, sardine, and was even brave enough to nibble the end off a funny gray one Ron wouldn't touch, which turned out to be pepper. **

"Most of those aren't too bad actually" said Ginny, everyone but the Dursley's nodded in agreement

**The countryside now flying past the window was becoming wilder. The neat fields had gone. Now there were woods, twisting rivers, and dark green hills. **

**There was a knock on the door of their compartment and the round-faced boy Harry had passed on platform nine and three-quarters came in. He looked tearful. **

"Enter Neville" chorused the twins, Harry whacked both the twins on the back of the head

"**Sorry," he said, "but have you seen a toad at all?" When they shook their heads, he wailed, "I've lost him! He keeps getting away from me!" **

"**He'll turn up," said Harry. **

"He always does" commented Harry. Ron, Hermione, Ginny and the twins all nodded agreeing with Harry

"**Yes," said the boy miserably. "Well, if you see him…" He left. **

"**Don't know why he's so bothered," said Ron. "If I'd brought a toad I'd lose it as quick as I could. Mind you, I brought Scabbers, so I can't talk." The rat was still snoozing on Ron's lap. **

"**He might have died and you wouldn't know the difference," said Ron in disgust. "I tried to turn him yellow yesterday to make him more interesting, but the spell didn't work. I'll show you, look…" He rummaged around in his trunk and pulled out a very battered-looking wand. It was chipped in places and something white was glinting at the end. **

"**Unicorn hair's nearly poking out. Anyway —" **

**He had just raised his wand when the compartment door slid open again. The toadless boy was back, but this time he had a girl with him. She was already wearing her new Hogwarts robes. **

"**Has anyone seen a toad? Neville's lost one," she said. She had a bossy sort of voice, lots of bushy brown hair, and rather large front teeth.**

"Your description's worse than Ron's" said George.

"**We've already told him we haven't seen it," said Ron, but the girl wasn't listening, she was looking at the wand in his hand. **

"**Oh, are you doing magic? Let's see it, then." She sat down. Ron looked taken aback. **

"**Er — all right." He cleared his throat. **

"**Sunshine, daisies, butter mellow, Turn this stupid, fat rat yellow."**

There were a few scattered chuckles

**He waved his wand, but nothing happened. Scabbers stayed gray and fast asleep. **

"**Are you sure that's a real spell?" said the girl. "Well, it's not very good, is it? I've tried a few simple spells just for practice and it's all worked for me. Nobody in my family's magic at all, it was ever such a surprise when I got my letter, but I was ever so pleased, of course, I mean, it's the very best school of witchcraft there is, I've heard — I've learned all our course books by heart,of course, I just hope it will be enough — I'm Hermione Granger, by the way, who are you?" **

"You managed that all at once?" asked James surprised, as he had to stop in the middle

"Yes" said Hermione nodding

**She said all this very fast. Harry looked at Ron, and was relieved to see by his stunned face that he hadn't learned all the course books by heart either. **

"**I'm Ron Weasley," Ron muttered. **

"**Harry Potter," said Harry. **

"**Are you really?" said Hermione. **

"**I know all about you, of course — I got a few extra books, for background reading, and you're in **_**Modern Magical History **_**and **_**The Rise and Fall of the Dark Arts **_**and **_**Great Wizarding Events of the Twentieth Century**_**." **

"**Am I?" said Harry, feeling dazed. **

"You didn't know that?" asked Tonks

"No" said Harry "the only books I got were the ones I needed for school"

"**Goodness, didn't you know, I'd have found out everything I could if it was me," said Hermione. "Do either of you know what house you'll be in? I've been asking around, and I hope I'm in Gryffindor, it sounds by far the best; ****I hear Dumbledore himself was in it, **

"I was" said Dumbledore

**but I suppose Ravenclaw wouldn't be too bad… Anyway, we'd better go and look for Neville's toad. You two had better change, you know, I expect we'll be there soon." And she left, taking the toadless boy with her. **

"**Whatever house I'm in, I hope she's not in it," said Ron. **

"Ron, that wasn't nice" said Hermione slightly hurt

"Sorry Hermione"

**He threw his wand back into his trunk. "Stupid spell — George gave it to me, bet he knew it was a dud." **

"**What house are your brothers in?" asked Harry. **

"**Gryffindor," said Ron. Gloom seemed to be settling on him again. "Mum and Dad were in it, too. I don't know what they'll say if I'm not. I don't suppose Ravenclaw **_**would **_**be too bad, but imagine if they put me in Slytherin." **

"**That's the house Vol-, I mean, You-Know-Who was in?" **

"**Yeah," said Ron. He flopped back into his seat, looking depressed. **

"**You know, I think the ends of Scabbers' whiskers are a bit lighter," said Harry, trying to take Ron's mind off houses. **

"That was nice of you Harry" said Lily

"**So what do your oldest brothers do now that they've left, anyway?" Harry was wondering what a wizard did once he'd finished school. **

"Well there are quite a lot of things you can do actually" commented Professor McGonagall

"**Charlie's in Romania studying dragons, and Bill's in Africa doing something for Gringotts," said Ron. **

"Really Ron" commented Ginny shaking her head "Bill's a Curse Breaker not just doing something for Gringotts"

"**Did you hear about Gringotts? It's been all over the **_**Daily Prophet**_**, but I don't suppose you get that with the Muggles — someone tried to rob a high security vault." Harry stared. **

"**Really? What happened to them?" **

"**Nothing, that's why it's such big news. They haven't been caught.**

"How did they manage that?" asked Moony

"We don't know" said Dumbledore

**My dad says it must've been a powerful Dark wizard to get round Gringotts, but they don't think they took anything, that's what's odd. 'Course, everyone gets scared when something like this happens in case You-Know-Who's behind it." **

**Harry turned this news over in his mind. He was starting to get a prickle of fear every time You-Know-Who was mentioned. He supposed this was all part of entering the magical world, but it had been a lot more comfortable saying "Voldemort" without worrying. **

"**What's your Quidditch team?" Ron asked. **

"Puddlemere United" said Harry

"Chudley Cannons are better" said Ron

"Puddlemere United"

"Chudley Cannons"

"Puddlemere United"

"Chudley Cannons"

"Holy Head Harpies" interjected Ginny to the amusement of everyone present

"Can I continue reading now?" asked James clearly amused, everyone nodded

"**Er — I don't know any." Harry confessed.**

"**What!" Ron looked dumbfounded. "Oh, you wait, it's the best game in the world —" And he was off, explaining all about the four balls and the positions of the seven players, describing famous games he'd been to with his brothers and the broomstick he'd like to get if he had the money. He was just taking Harry through the finer points of the game when the compartment door slid open yet again, but it wasn't Neville the toadless boy, or Hermione Granger this time. **

"Really who was it?" asked the Fred

"And exactly how many people did you actually meet on the train" added George

"It was Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle come to be annoying, they do that every train ride without fail" answered Harry "And as for people I met on the train, there was you two, Ron, Hermione, Neville and Crabbe and Goyle"

"So that was it?" asked Remus who been quiet for quite a while

"I think so" said Harry

**Three boys entered, and Harry recognized the middle one at once: it was the pale boy from Madam Malkin's robe shop. He was looking at Harry with a lot more interest than he'd shown back in Diagon Alley. **

"**Is it true?" he said. "They're saying all down the train that Harry Potter's in this compartment. So it's you, is it?" **

"Yes, not that it's really any of your business" said Hermione

"**Yes," said Harry. He was looking at the other boys. Both of them were thickset and looked extremely mean. Standing on either side of the pale boy, they looked like bodyguards. **

"**Oh, this is Crabbe and this is Goyle," said the pale boy carelessly, noticing where Harry was looking. "And my name's Malfoy, Draco Malfoy." **

**Ron gave a slight cough, which might have been hiding a snigger.**

"It was" said Ron

**Draco Malfoy looked at him. **

"**Think my name's funny, do you? No need to ask who you are. My father told me all the Weasley's have red hair, freckles, and more children than they can afford." **

**He turned back to Harry. "You'll soon find out some wizarding families are much better than others, Potter. You don't want to go making friends with the wrong sort. I can help you there." **

**He held out his hand to shake Harry's, but Harry didn't take it. **

"**I think I can tell who the wrong sort are for myself, thanks," he said coolly. **

"Well that put Malfoy in his place" Commented George. Fred nodded agreeing with his twin brother

**Draco Malfoy didn't go red, but a pink tinge appeared in his pale cheeks. **

"**I'd be careful if I were you, Potter," he said slowly. "Unless you're a bit politer you'll go the same way as your parents. They didn't know what was good for them, either. You hang around with riffraff like the Weasleys and that Hagrid, and it'll rub off on you." Both Harry and Ron stood up. **

"**Say that again," Ron said, his face as red as his hair.**

"Yeah Ron you show him" said Ginny, Mrs. Weasley looked slightly disapproving but didn't say anything

"**Oh, you're going to fight us, are you?" Malfoy sneered. **

"**Unless you get out now," said Harry, more bravely than he felt, because Crabbe and Goyle were a lot bigger than him or Ron.**

"Neville took both of them on at once you know" commented Ron

"**But we don't feet like leaving, do we, boys? We've eaten all our food and you still seem to have some." Goyle reached toward the Chocolate Frogs next to Ron — Ron leapt forward, but before he'd so much as touched Goyle, Goyle let out a horrible yell. Scabbers the rat was hanging off his finger, sharp little teeth sunk deep into Goyle's knuckle**— **Crabbe and Malfoy backed away as Goyle swung Scabbers round and round, howling, and when Scabbers finally flew off and hit the window, all three of them disappeared at once. **

"Well that got rid of those three annoying idiots" said Tonks

"Nymphadora" exclaimed Professor McGonagall "You're an adult behave like one"

"Don't Call Me Nymphadora" said Tonks glaring at Professor McGonagall

**Perhaps they thought there were more rats lurking among the sweets, or perhaps they'd heard footsteps, because a second later, Hermione Granger had come in. **

"**What **_**has **_**been going on?" she said, looking at the sweets all over the floor and Ron picking up Scabbers by his tail. **

"**I think he's been knocked out," Ron said to Harry. He looked closer at Scabbers. "No — I don't believe it — he's gone back to sleep." And so he had. **

"**You've met Malfoy before?" **

"That was rather rude" said Hermione

"Sorry Hermione" Chorused Harry and Ron

**Harry explained about their meeting in Diagon Alley. **

"**I've heard of his family," said Ron darkly. "They were some of the first to come back to our side after You-Know-Who disappeared. Said they'd been bewitched. My dad doesn't believe it. He says Malfoy's father didn't need an excuse to go over to the Dark Side." He turned to Hermione. "Can we help you with something?" **

"**You'd better hurry up and put your robes on, I've just been up to the front to ask the conductor, and he says we're nearly there. You haven't been fighting, have you? You'll be in trouble before we even get there!"**

"**Scabbers has been fighting, not us," said Ron, scowling at her. **

"Well that's true" said Fred

"**Would you mind leaving while we change?" **

"**All right — I only came in here because people outside are behaving very childishly, racing up and down the corridors," said Hermione in a sniffy voice. **

"**And you've got dirt on your nose, by the way, did you know?"**

"Told you he was told twice" said Hermione

**Ron glared at her as she left. Harry peered out of the window. It was getting dark. He could see mountains and forests under a deep purple sky. The train did seem to be slowing down. **

**He and Ron took off their jackets and pulled on their long black robes. Ron's were a bit short for him, you could see his sneakers underneath them. **

**A voice echoed through the train: "We will be reaching Hogwarts in five minutes' time. Please leave your luggage on the train, it will be taken to the school separately." **

"Yes by the house elves probably" muttered Hermione

"Please don't start on Spew again Hermione" said Ron

"For the last time Ronald its S.P.E.W not spew and I think it's appalling how house elves are treated like slaves"

"What does S.P.E.W. stand for anyway?" asked Tonks

"Society for the Promotion of Elfish Welfare" answered Hermione before asking James to continue reading, not wanting to argue with Ron about House Elf rights.

**Harry's stomach lurched with nerves and Ron, he saw, looked pale under his freckles. They crammed their pockets with the last of the sweets and joined the crowd thronging the corridor. **

**The train slowed right down and finally stopped. People pushed their way toward the door and out on to a tiny, dark platform. Harry shivered in the cold night air. Then a lamp came bobbing over the heads of the students, and Harry heard a familiar voice: "Firs' years! Firs' years over here! All right there, Harry?" **

"Hagrid" exclaimed Fred and George quite unnecessarily

**Hagrid's big hairy face beamed over the sea of heads. **

"**C'mon, follow me — any more firs' years? Mind yer step, now! Firs' years follow me!" **

**Slipping and stumbling, they followed Hagrid down what seemed to be a steep, narrow path. It was so dark on either side of them that Harry thought there must be thick trees there. Nobody spoke much. Neville, the boy who kept losing his toad, sniffed once or twice. **

"**Yeh'll get yer firs' sight o' Hogwarts in a sec," Hagrid called over his shoulder, "jus' round this bend here." **

**There was a loud "Oooooh!" **

"Well it is quite a beautiful sight to see" said Ginny

**The narrow path had opened suddenly onto the edge of a great black lake. Perched atop a high mountain on the other side, its windows sparkling in the starry sky, was a vast castle with many turrets and towers. **

"**No more'n four to a boat!" Hagrid called, pointing to a fleet of little boats sitting in the water by the shore. Harry and Ron were followed into their boat by Neville and Hermione. **

"**Everyone in?" shouted Hagrid, who had a boat to himself. "Right then — FORWARD!" **

**And the fleet of little boats moved off all at once, gliding across the lake, which was as smooth as glass. Everyone was silent, staring up at the great castle overhead. It towered over them as they sailed nearer and nearer to the cliff on which it stood. **

"**Heads down!" yelled Hagrid as the first boats reached the cliff; they all bent their heads and the little boats carried them through a curtain of ivy that hid a wide opening in the cliff face. They were carried along a dark tunnel, which seemed to be taking them right underneath the castle, **

"It does take you right underneath the castle" said Dumbledore

**until they reached a kind of underground harbor, where they clambered out onto rocks and pebbles. **

"**Oy, you there! Is this your toad?" said Hagrid, who was checking the boats as people climbed out of them. **

"See" said Ron "and Trevor turns up again even though Neville lost him before he even got on the train"

"**Trevor!" cried Neville blissfully, holding out his hands. Then they clambered up a passageway in the rock after Hagrid's lamp, coming out at last onto smooth, damp grass right in the shadow of the castle. **

**They walked up a flight of stone steps and crowded around the huge, oak front door. **

"**Everyone here? You there, still got yer toad?" **

**Hagrid raised a gigantic fist and knocked three times on the castle door.**

"Ok" said James "That's the end of the chapter, who wants to read next?"

"I will" volunteered Ginny

* * *

**A:N/ Here is the next chappie, sorry i took so long to update, please let me know what you think of this chapter**

**Padfoot-Moony-an-Prongs**


	8. The Sorting Hat

Ginny took the offered book off of James before starting to read

**CHAPTER SEVEN THE SORTING HAT**

"The Sorting" commented Fred quite unnecessarily

"Yes that's always fun" agreed George

**The door swung open at once. A tall, black-haired witch in emerald-green robes stood there. She had a very stern face and Harry's first thought was that this was not someone to cross. **

"No I'm not" commented McGonagall "Not that it stops anyone from trying"

"**The firs' years, Professor McGonagall," said Hagrid. **

"**Thank you, Hagrid. I will take them from here." **

**She pulled the door wide. The entrance hall was so big you could have fit the whole of the Dursleys' house in it. The stone walls were lit with flaming torches like the ones at Gringotts, the ceiling was too high to make out, and a magnificent marble staircase facing them led to the upper floors. **

**They followed Professor McGonagall across the flagged stone floor. Harry could hear the drone of hundreds of voices from a doorway to the right — the rest of the school must already be here — but Professor McGonagall showed the first years into a small, empty chamber off the hall. They crowded in, standing rather closer together than they would usually have done, peering about nervously. **

"**Welcome to Hogwarts," said Professor McGonagall. "The start-of-term banquet will begin shortly, but before you take your seats in the Great Hall, you will be sorted into your houses. The Sorting is a very important ceremony because, while you are here, your house will be something like your family within Hogwarts. **

"**You will have classes with the rest of your house, sleep in your house dormitory, and spend free time in your house common room." **

"**The four houses are called Gryffindor, **

"The best house" commented Ron

**Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. Each house has its own noble history and each has produced outstanding witches and wizards. While you are at Hogwarts, your triumphs will earn your house points, while any rule breaking will lose house points. **

"Well most the time" mumbled Harry but nobody seemed to hear him

**At the end of the year, the house with the most points is awarded the house cup, a great honor. I hope each of you will be a credit to whichever house becomes yours. **

"**The Sorting Ceremony will take place in a few minutes in front of the rest of the school. I suggest you all smarten yourselves up as much as you can while you are waiting." **

**Her eyes lingered for a moment on Neville's cloak, which was fastened under his left ear, and on Ron's smudged nose. Harry nervously tried to flatten his hair. **

"That was rather pointless" commented James

"**I shall return when we are ready for you," said Professor McGonagall. "Please wait quietly." She left the chamber. Harry swallowed. **

"**How exactly do they sort us into houses?" he asked Ron. **

"**Some sort of test, I think. Fred said it hurts a lot, but I think he was joking." **

"Of course I was Ronnikins" said Fred "I joke around alot though one would think by now that you knew that" George nodded agreeing with his twin

**Harry's heart gave a horrible jolt. A test? In front of the whole school? But he didn't know any magic yet —what on earth would he have to do? He hadn't expected something like this the moment they arrived. He looked around anxiously and saw that everyone else looked terrified, too. No one was talking much except Hermione Granger, who was whispering very fast about all the spells she'd learned and wondering which one she'd need. **

"None" sighed Hermione relieved though slightly disappointed at the same time

**Harry tried hard not to listen to her. He'd never been more nervous, never, not even when he'd had to take a school report home to the Dursleys saying that he'd somehow turned his teacher's wig blue. **

Most people laughed

"I still say that pink is a better colour" remarked Tonks to the amusement of everyone but the Dursley's

**He kept his eyes fixed on the door. Any second now, Professor McGonagall would come back and lead him to his doom.**

"Bit melodramatic there Harry" commented Ginny slightly amused

**Then something happened that made him jump about a foot in the air — several people behind him screamed. **

"**What the —?" **

**He gasped. So did the people around him. About twenty ghosts had just streamed through the back wall. Pearly-white and slightly transparent, they glided across the room talking to one another and hardly glancing at the first years. They seemed to be arguing. What looked like a fat little monk was saying: "Forgive and forget, I say, we ought to give him a second chance —" **

"Peeves" commented Fred and George together "He's brilliant"

"You know when you told him to annoy Umbridge for you before you two left?" said Ron to the Twins

"Yes" the twins half asked, half stated

"Well" replied Ron "I just thought you'd like to know that he did"

"Did he really" exclaimed the twins gleefully to which all of those who had been at Hogwarts at the time nodded, and Ginny started to read again

"**My dear Friar, haven't we given Peeves all the chances he deserves? He gives us all a bad name and you know, he's not really even a ghost — I say, what are you all doing here?" **

"About to be sorted" commented Sirius as if it was obvious

**A ghost wearing a ruff and tights had suddenly noticed the first years. **

**Nobody answered. **

"**New students!" said the Fat Friar, smiling around at them. "About to be Sorted, I suppose?" **

"No we were standing there because we felt like it" commented Harry to the slight amusement of most present

"Shut up Freak" said Dudley nastily "Nobody asked you"

"Harry is not a Freak" commented just about everyone present glaring angrily at the Dursley's whilst James turned Dudley into a Pig

"What did you do to my Son you Freak" Demanded Vernon angrily

"Nothing less than what he deserved for calling my son a Freak" snapped James

"TURN HIM BACK NOW" bellowed Vernon

"No" replied James calmly "he can stay like that for a while"

"I DEMAND THAT YOU TURN HIM BACK AT ONCE" Bellowed Vernon

"No" replied James again whilst silencing Vernon for a while before turning to Ginny "Perhaps we should continue reading now"

Ginny nodded and continued to read the chapter

**A few people nodded mutely. **

"**Hope to see you in Hufflepuff!" said the Friar. "My old house, you know." **

"**Move along now," said a sharp voice. "The Sorting Ceremony's about to start." **

"Minnie's back" commented Sirius

"I've told you before to stop calling me that" replied McGonagall

**Professor McGonagall had returned. One by one, the ghosts floated away through the opposite wall. **

"**Now, form a line," Professor McGonagall told the first years, "and follow me." **

**Feeling oddly as though his legs had turned to lead, Harry got into line behind a boy with sandy hair, with Ron behind him, and they walked out of the chamber, back across the hall, and through a pair of double doors into the Great Hall. **

**Harry had never even imagined such a strange and splendid place. **

**It was lit by thousands and thousands of candles that were floating in midair over four long tables, where the rest of the students were sitting. These tables were laid with glittering golden plates and goblets. At the top of the hall was another long table where the teachers were sitting. Professor McGonagall led the first years up here, so that they came to a halt in a line facing the other students, with the teachers behind them. The hundreds of faces staring at them looked like pale lanterns in the flickering candlelight. Dotted here and there among the students, the ghosts shone misty silver. Mainly to avoid all the staring eyes, Harry looked upward and saw a velvety black ceiling dotted with stars. He heard Hermione whisper, "Its bewitched to look like the sky outside. I read about it in **_**Hogwarts, A History**_**." **

"Is there anything not in Hogwarts, A History?" commented Ron mostly to himself

**It was hard to believe there was a ceiling there at all, and that the Great Hall didn't simply open on to the heavens. **

"That's one way of describing it" commented Tonks

**Harry quickly looked down again as Professor McGonagall silently placed a four-legged stool in front of the first years. On top of the stool she put a pointed wizard's hat. This hat was patched and frayed and extremely dirty. Aunt Petunia wouldn't have let it in the house. **

"Of course not" sniffed Petunia angrily "It freaky and filthy"

Everyone else ignored her except for Vernon who was red in the face from anger and nodded agreeing with his wife

_**Maybe they had to try and get a rabbit out of it**_**, Harry thought wildly, that seemed the sort of thing **

Most people were amused

"And how would pulling a rabbit out of it help to sort people Cub?" asked an amused Remus quietly

"I didn't think about that" mumbled Harry blushing slightly

— **noticing that everyone in the hall was now staring at the hat, he stared at it, too. For a few seconds, there was complete silence. Then the hat twitched. A rip near the brim opened wide like a mouth — and the hat began to sing: **

"_**Oh, you may not think I'm pretty,**_

_**But don't judge on what you see,**_

_**I'll eat myself if you can find**_

_**A smarter hat than me.**_

_**You can keep your bowlers black,**_

_**Your top hats sleek and tall,**_

_**For I'm the Hogwarts Sorting Hat**_

_**And I can cap them all.**_

_**There's nothing hidden in your head**_

_**The Sorting Hat can't see,**_

_**So try me on and I will tell you**_

_**Where you ought to be.**_

_**You might belong in Gryffindor,**_

_**Where dwell the brave at heart,**_

_**Their daring, nerve, and chivalry**_

_**Set Gryffindors apart;**_

_**You might belong in Hufflepuff,**_

_**Where they are just and loyal,**_

_**Those patient Hufflepuffs are true**_

_**And unafraid of toil;**_

_**Or yet in wise old Ravenclaw,**_

_**if you've a ready mind,**_

_**Where those of wit and learning,**_

_**Will always find their kind;**_

_**Or perhaps in Slytherin**_

_**You'll make your real friends,**_

_**Those cunning folk use any means**_

_**To achieve their ends.**_

_**So put me on! Don't be afraid!**_

_**And don't get in a flap!**_

_**You're in safe hands (though I have none)**_

_**For I'm a Thinking Cap!"**_

"Cool song" commented Ginny

**The whole hall burst into applause as the hat finished its song. It bowed to each of the four tables and then became quite still again. **

"**So we've just got to try on the hat!" Ron whispered to Harry. "I'll kill Fred, he was going on about wrestling a troll." **

"Wrestling a troll indeed" mumbled Hermione shaking her head slightly

**Harry smiled weakly. Yes, trying on the hat was a lot better than having to do a spell, but he did wish they could have tried it on without everyone watching. The hat seemed to be asking rather a lot; Harry didn't feel brave or quick-witted or any of it at the moment. If only the hat had mentioned a house for people who felt a bit queasy, that would have been the one for him. **

"In that case" commented Ginny "I'm sure most people would end up in the same house instead of being semi-equally divided in quarters"

**Professor McGonagall now stepped forward holding a long roll of parchment. **

"**When I call your name, you will put on the hat and sit on the stool to be sorted," she said. "Abbott, Hannah!" **

"She a Hufflepuff" commented Ron

"Yes Ron" said Hermione "we do know that Hannah is in Hufflepuff"

**A pink-faced girl with blonde pigtails stumbled out of line, put on the hat, which fell right down over her eyes, and sat down. A moments pause — **

"**HUFFLEPUFF!" shouted the hat. **

**The table on the right cheered and clapped as Hannah went to sit down at the Hufflepuff table. Harry saw the ghost of the Fat Friar waving merrily at her. **

"**Bones, Susan!" **

"**HUFFLEPUFF!" shouted the hat again, and Susan scuttled off to sit next to Hannah. **

"**Boot, Terry!" **

"**RAVENCLAW!" **

**The table second from the left clapped this time; several Ravenclaws stood up to shake hands with Terry as he joined them. **

"**Brocklehurst, Mandy" went to Ravenclaw too, but "Brown, Lavender" became the first new Gryffindor, and the table on the far left exploded with cheers; Harry could see Ron's twin brothers catcalling. **

"Go Gryffindor" cheered the Twins, Ron and Ginny

"**Bulstrode, Millicent" then became a Slytherin. Perhaps it was Harry's imagination, after all he'd heard about Slytherin, but he thought they looked like an unpleasant lot. **

**He was starting to feel definitely sick now. He remembered being picked for teams during gym at his old school. He had always been last to be chosen, not because he was no good, but because no one wanted Dudley to think they liked him. **

Everyone glared at the Pig that was Dudley

"**Finch-Fletchley, Justin!" **

"**HUFFLEPUFF!" **

**Sometimes, Harry noticed, the hat shouted out the house at once, but at others it took a little while to decide. "Finnigan, Seamus," the sandy-haired boy next to Harry in the line, sat on the stool for almost a whole minute before the hat declared him a Gryffindor.**

"**Granger, Hermione!" **

**Hermione almost ran to the stool and jammed the hat eagerly on her head.**

"**GRYFFINDOR!" shouted the hat. Ron groaned. **

"That wasn't very nice Ron" commented Hermione slightly Hurt

"Sorry Mione" replied Ron

**A horrible thought struck Harry, as horrible thoughts always do when you're very nervous. What if he wasn't chosen at all? What if he just sat there with the hat over his eyes for ages, until Professor McGonagall jerked it off his head and said there had obviously been a mistake and he'd better get back on the train?**

"That's never happened Harry" commented Dumbledore

**When Neville Longbottom, the boy who kept losing his toad, was called, he fell over on his way to the stool.**

"Poor Neville" commented Ginny

**The hat took a long time to decide with Neville. When it finally shouted, "GRYFFINDOR," Neville ran off still wearing it, and had to jog back amid gales of laughter to give it to "MacDougal, Morag." **

**Malfoy swaggered forward when his name was called and got his wish at once: the hat had barely touched his head when it screamed, "SLYTHERIN!" **

**Malfoy went to join his friends Crabbe and Goyle, looking pleased with himself. **

**There weren't many people left now. "Moon"…, "Nott"… , "Parkinson"… , then a pair of twin girls, "Patil" and "Patil"… , then "Perks, Sally-Anne"… , and then, at last — **

"**Potter, Harry!" **

"Ooh we get to see what the hat said to Harry" said Hermione

**As Harry stepped forward, whispers suddenly broke out like little hissing fires all over the hall. **

"_**Potter**_**, did she say?" **

"_**The **_**Harry Potter?" **

"There's only one Harry potter" commented Fred

"Well technically brother of mine there's two at the moment" replied George indicating both 1yr old Harry and 16yr old Harry

"Yes true" replied Fred seriously "even though they are the same person just at different ages"

**The last thing Harry saw before the hat dropped over his eyes was the hall full of people craning to get a good look at him. Next second he was looking at the black inside of the hat. He waited. **

"**Hmm," said a small voice in his ear. "Difficult. Very difficult. **

**Plenty of courage, I see. Not a bad mind either. There's talent, A my goodness, yes — and a nice thirst to prove yourself, now that's interesting… So where shall I put you?"**

"Gryffindor of course" answered Ron

**Harry gripped the edges of the stool and thought, **_**Not Slytherin, not Slytherin**_**. **

"**Not Slytherin, eh?" said the small voice. "Are you sure? You could be great, you know, it's all here in your head, and Slytherin will help you on the way to greatness, no doubt about that — no? **

"Yes I'm sure" stated Harry "Though I do wonder what Snape's reaction would have been"

"It's Professor Snape Harry" corrected Dumbledore

**Well, if you're sure — better be GRYFFINDOR!" **

**Harry heard the hat shout the last word to the whole hall. He took off the hat and walked shakily toward the Gryffindor table. He was so relieved to have been chosen and not put in Slytherin, he hardly noticed that he was getting the loudest cheer yet. Percy the Prefect got up and shook his hand vigorously, while the Weasley twins yelled, "We got Potter! We got Potter!" Harry sat down opposite the ghost in the ruff he'd seen earlier. The ghost patted his arm, giving Harry the sudden, horrible feeling he'd just plunged it into a bucket of ice-cold water. **

"Yes that's annoying" agreed Tonks

**He could see the High Table properly now. At the end nearest him sat Hagrid, who caught his eye and gave him the thumbs up. Harry grinned back. And there, in the center of the High Table, in a large gold chair, sat Albus Dumbledore. Harry recognized him at once from the card he'd gotten out of the Chocolate Frog on the train. Dumbledore's silver hair was the only thing in the whole hall that shone as brightly as the ghosts. Harry spotted Professor Quirrell, too, the nervous young man from the Leaky Cauldron. He was looking very peculiar in a large purple turban. **

**And now there were only three people left to be sorted. "Thomas, Dean," a Black boy even taller than Ron, joined Harry at the Gryffindor table. **

"**Turpin, Lisa," became a Ravenclaw and then it was Ron's turn. He was pale green by now. Harry crossed his fingers under the table and a second later the hat had shouted, "GRYFFINDOR!" **

**Harry clapped loudly with the rest as Ron collapsed into the chair next to him. **

"**Well done, Ron, excellent," said Percy Weasley pompously across Harry as "Zabini, Blaise," was made a Slytherin. Professor McGonagall rolled up her scroll and took the Sorting Hat away. **

**Harry looked down at his empty gold plate. He had only just realized how hungry he was. The pumpkin pasties seemed ages ago. **

"That's because they were" agreed Ron

**Albus Dumbledore had gotten to his feet. He was beaming at the students, his arms opened wide, as if nothing could have pleased him more than to see them all there. **

"That's because nothing does please me more" stated Dumbledore

"**Welcome," he said. "Welcome to a new year at Hogwarts! Before we begin our banquet, I would like to say a few words. And here they are: Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak!"** **He sat back down. Everybody clapped and cheered. Harry didn't know whether to laugh or not. **

Almost everyone laughed

"**Is he — a bit mad?" he asked Percy uncertainly. **

"**Mad?" said Percy airily. "He's a genius! Best wizard in the world! But he is a bit mad, yes. Potatoes, Harry?" **

"Yeah a mad genius" said Fred and George, everyone else looked at the twins slightly amused

**Harry's mouth fell open. The dishes in front of him were now piled with food. He had never seen so many things he liked to eat on one table: roast beef, roast chicken, pork chops and lamb chops, sausages, bacon and steak, boiled potatoes, roast potatoes, fries, Yorkshire pudding, peas, carrots, gravy, ketchup, and, for some strange reason, peppermint humbugs. **

"Yeah why exactly do we have peppermint humbugs?" asked Ginny "Hardly anyone ever eats them"

"Because I like them?" replied Dumbledore "and they're there for the few who do like them"

**The Dursleys had never exactly starved Harry, but he'd never been allowed to eat as much as he liked. Dudley had always taken anything that Harry really wanted, even if It made him sick. **

Everyone glared angrily at the Dursley's, Vernon who was still red faced and angry, Petunia who was cowering behind Vernon and Dudley who was still a Pig

**Harry piled his plate with a bit of everything except the peppermints and began to eat. It was all delicious. **

"**That does look good," said the ghost in the ruff sadly, watching Harry cut up his steak. **

"**Can't you —?" **

"**I haven't eaten for nearly five hundred years," said the ghost. "I don't need to, of course, but one does miss it. I don't think I've introduced myself? Sir Nicholas de Mimsy-Porpington at your service. Resident ghost of Gryffindor Tower." **

"Nearly Headless Nick is cool" commented Fred

"**I know who you are!" said Ron suddenly. "My brothers told me about you — you're Nearly Headless Nick!" **

"**I would **_**prefer **_**you to call me Sir Nicholas de Mimsy —" the ghost began stiffly, but sandy-haired Seamus Finnigan interrupted. **

"_**Nearly **_**Headless? How can you be **_**nearly **_**headless?" **

**Sir Nicholas looked extremely miffed, as if their little chat wasn't going at all the way he wanted. **

"It probably wasn't" commented Lily

"**Like **_**this**_**," he said irritably. He seized his left ear and pulled. His whole head swung off his neck and fell onto his shoulder as if it was on a hinge. Someone had obviously tried to behead him, but not done it properly. Looking pleased at the stunned looks on their faces, Nearly Headless Nick flipped his head back onto his neck, coughed, and said, "So — new Gryffindors! I hope you're going to help us win the house championship this year? Gryffindors have never gone so long without winning. Slytherins have got the cup six years in a row! **

"Six years in a row?" asked Sirius "please tell me that changes"

"Yes it does" replied McGonagall

**The Bloody Baron's becoming almost unbearable — he's the Slytherin ghost." **

**Harry looked over at the Slytherin table and saw a horrible ghost sitting there, with blank staring eyes, a gaunt face, and robes stained with silver blood. He was right next to Malfoy who, Harry was pleased to see, didn't look too pleased with the seating arrangements. **

"Probably wasn't to impressed with it" commented Tonks

"**How did he get covered in blood?" asked Seamus with great interest. **

"**I've never asked," said Nearly Headless Nick delicately. **

"Has anyone ever asked?" asked Moony

"Quite possibly" replied Dumbledore "He's never answered though if they have"

**When everyone had eaten as much as they could, the remains of the food faded from the plates, leaving them sparkling clean as before. A moment later the desserts appeared. Blocks of ice cream in every flavor you could think of, apple pies, treacle tarts, chocolate éclairs and jam doughnuts, trifle, strawberries, Jell-O, rice pudding… **

**As Harry helped himself to a treacle tart, the talk turned to their families. **

"**I'm half-and-half," said Seamus. "Me dad's a Muggle. Mom didn't tell him she was a witch 'til after they were married. Bit of a nasty shock for him."The others laughed. **

"**What about you, Neville?" said Ron. **

"**Well, my gran brought me up and she's a witch," said Neville, **

"What happened Frank and Alice?" asked Lily slightly afraid of the answer

"They were Torture to insanity by a group of Death Eaters shortly after the fall of Voldemort" replied Dumbledore solemnly "They now reside in the long-term care ward of St Mungo's"

Lily, James, Sirius, and Moony were horrified by that, Lily's emerald green eyes shone brightly with unshed tears and after a few moments Ginny continued to read

"**but the family thought I was all-Muggle for ages. My Great Uncle Algie kept trying to catch me off my guard and force some magic out of me — he pushed me off the end of Blackpool pier once, I nearly drowned — but nothing happened until I was eight. Great Uncle Algie came round for dinner, and he was hanging me out of an upstairs window by the ankles when my Great Auntie Enid offered him a meringue and he accidentally let go. But I bounced — all the way down the garden and into the road. They were all really pleased, Gran was crying, she was so happy. And you should have seen their faces when I got in here — they thought I might not be magic enough to come, you see. Great Uncle Algie was so pleased he bought me my toad." **

"So that's where Trevor came from" stated Ginny

**On Harry's other side, Percy Weasley and Hermione were talking about lessons ("I **_**do **_**hope they start right away, there's so much to learn, I'm particularly interested in Transfiguration, **

**you know, turning something into something else, of course, it's supposed to be very difficult —"; "You'll be starting small, just matches into needles and that sort of thing — "). **

**Harry, who was starting to feel warm and sleepy, looked up at the High Table again. Hagrid was drinking deeply from his goblet. Professor McGonagall was talking to Professor Dumbledore. Professor Quirrell, in his absurd turban, was talking to a teacher with greasy black hair, a hooked nose, and sallow skin. **

**It happened very suddenly. The hook-nosed teacher looked past Quirrell's turban straight into Harry's eyes — and a sharp, hot pain shot across the scar on Harry's forehead. **

"**Ouch!" Harry clapped a hand to his head. **

"What?" asked Lily and James

"Err that" mumbled Harry "would be my connection to Voldemort that was forged through the backfired Killing curse"

"**What is it?" asked Percy. **

"**N-nothing." **

**The pain had gone as quickly as it had come. Harder to shake off was the feeling Harry had gotten from the teacher's look — a feeling that he didn't like Harry at all. **

"Boy you got that right" commented Ron

"**Who's that teacher talking to Professor Quirrell?" he asked Percy. **

"**Oh, you know Quirrell already, do you? No wonder he's looking so nervous, that's Professor Snape. **

"Snivellus is teacher?" asked Sirius shocked

Harry sighed but nodded

**He teaches Potions, but he doesn't want to — everyone knows he's after Quirrell's job. Knows an awful lot about the Dark Arts, Snape." **

**Harry watched Snape for a while, but Snape didn't look at him again. **

**At last, the desserts too disappeared, and Professor Dumbledore got to his feet again. The hall fell silent. **

"Don't we always" commented Fred and George

"**Ahem — just a few more words now that we are all fed and watered. I have a few start-of-term notices to give you. First years should note that the forest on the grounds is forbidden to all pupils. And a few of our older students would do well to remember that as well." Dumbledore's twinkling eyes flashed in the direction of the Weasley twins.**

"Who says we forgot?" Fred asked George

"Don't know" George replied

"**I have also been asked by Mr. Filch, the caretaker, to remind you all that no magic should be used between classes in the trials will be held in the second week of the term. Anyone interested in playing for their house teams should contact Madam Hooch. **

"Yay Quidditch" cheered the twins, Ron, Ginny, and Harry

"**And finally, I must tell you that this year, the third-floor corridor on the right-hand side is out of bounds to everyone who does not wish to die a very painful death." **

**Harry laughed, but he was one of the few who did. **

"**He's not serious?" he muttered to Percy. **

"No that would be me" commented Sirius, everyone else groaned at the pun

"**Must be," said Percy, frowning at Dumbledore. "It's odd, because he usually gives us a reason why we're not allowed to go somewhere — the forest's full of dangerous beasts, everyone knows that. I do think he might have told us prefects, at least." **

"**And now, before we go to bed, let us sing the school song!" cried Dumbledore. Harry noticed that the other teachers' smiles had become rather fixed. **

"That would be because they were" commented McGonagall

**Dumbledore gave his wand a little flick, as if he was trying to get a fly off the end, and a long golden ribbon flew out of it, which rose high above the tables and twisted itself, snakelike, into words. **

"**Everyone pick their favorite tune," said Dumbledore, "and off we go!" **

**And the school bellowed: **

"_**Hogwarts, Hogwarts, Hoggy Warty Hogwarts,**_

_**Teach us something please,**_

_**Whether we be old and bald**_

_**Or young with scabby knees,**_

_**Our heads could do with filling**_

_**With some interesting stuff,**_

_**For now they're bare and full of air,**_

_**Dead flies and bits of fluff,**_

_**So teach us things worth knowing,**_

_**Bring back what we've forgot,**_

_**just do your best, we'll do the rest,**_

_**And learn until our brains all rot."**_

The Twins and Ginny sang along to a very slow funeral march

**Everybody finished the song at different times. At last, only the Weasley twins were left singing along to a very slow funeral march. Dumbledore conducted their last few lines with his wand and when they had finished, he was one of those who clapped loudest. **

"**Ah, music," he said, wiping his eyes. "A magic beyond all we do here! And now, bedtime. Off you trot!" **

"What are we horses?" asked Hermione

"Maybe" said Tonks "Who knows"

**The Gryffindor first years followed Percy through the chattering crowds, out of the Great Hall, and up the marble staircase. Harry's legs were like lead again, but only because he was so tired and full of food. He was too sleepy even to be surprised that the people in the portraits along the corridors whispered and pointed as they passed, or that twice Percy led them through doorways hidden behind sliding panels and hanging tapestries. They climbed more staircases, yawning and dragging their feet, and Harry was just wondering how much farther they had to go when they came to a sudden halt. **

**A bundle of walking sticks was floating in midair ahead of them, and as Percy took a step toward them they started throwing themselves at him. **

"Peeves" stated someone quite unnecessarily

"**Peeves," Percy whispered to the first years. "A poltergeist." He raised his voice, "Peeves — show yourself." A loud, rude sound, like the air being let out of a balloon, answered. **

"**Do you want me to go to the Bloody Baron?" **

"Who needs the Bloody Baron when Harry managed to convince peeves that he was the Bloody Baron once" said Ron

"Err yes Ron, we won't go into the fact that I happened to be invisible at the time"

"Yes Harry" agreed Ron "We'll just forget that little detail"

**There was a pop, and a little man with wicked, dark eyes and a wide mouth appeared, floating cross-legged in the air, clutching the walking sticks. **

"**Oooooooh!" he said, with an evil cackle. "Ickle Firsties! What fun!" He swooped suddenly at them. They all ducked. **

"**Go away, Peeves, or the Baron'll hear about this, I mean it!" barked Percy. **

**Peeves stuck out his tongue and vanished, dropping the walking sticks on Neville's head. **

"Poor Neville" commented Ginny, the others nodded agreeing

**They heard him zooming away, rattling coats of armor as he passed. **

"**You want to watch out for Peeves," said Percy, as they set off again. "The Bloody Baron's the only one who can control him, he won't even listen to us prefects. Here we are." **

"Yeah or an invisible Harry"

**At the very end of the corridor hung a portrait of a very fat woman in a pink silk dress. **

"**Password?" she said. **

"**Caput Draconis," said Percy, and the portrait swung forward to reveal a round hole in the wall. They all scrambled through it — Neville needed a leg up — and found themselves in the Gryffindor common room, a cozy, round room full of squashy armchairs.**

**Percy directed the girls through one door to their dormitory and the boys through another. At the top of a spiral staircase — they were obviously in one of the towers - they found their beds at last: five four-posters hung with deep red, velvet curtains. Their trunks had already been brought up. Too tired to talk much, they pulled on their pajamas and fell into bed. **

"**Great food, isn't it?" Ron muttered to Harry through the hangings. "Get **_**off**_**, Scabbers! He's chewing my sheets." **

"Stupid Rat" muttered Ron

**Harry was going to ask Ron if he'd had any of the treacle tart, but he fell asleep almost at once. **

**Perhaps Harry had eaten a bit too much, because he had a very strange dream. He was wearing Professor Quirrell's turban, which kept talking to him, telling him he must transfer to Slytherin at once, because it was his destiny. Harry told the turban he didn't want to be in Slytherin; it got heavier and heavier; he tried to pull it off but it tightened painfully — and there was Malfoy, laughing at him as he struggled with it — then Malfoy turned into the hook-nosed teacher, Snape, whose laugh became high and cold — there was a burst of green light and Harry woke, sweating and shaking. **

"Odd dream Harry" commented Tonks, Harry nodded agreeing

"I've had a lot worse though" mumbled Harry but only Remus heard him and he was looking at his Cub rather concerned

**He rolled over and fell asleep again, and when he woke next day, he didn't remember the dream at all.**

"And that is the end of the chapter" said Ginny "so who wants to read next?"

"I will Ginny dear" offered Mrs Weasley, Ginny handed the book over to her mother

"Before we continue I'll just un-transfigure Dudley" said Dumbledore flicking his wand at the Pig that was Dudley and turned him back into a human, Dudley immediately attempted to hide behind his father

"Ok you can go on now" stated Dumbledore

* * *

**A:N/ Okie peoples here is the next chapter, sorry to keep you waiting, but anyway i have chappie eight up now, though rest assured that this story is not going to be abandoned even if i take forever to update, i hope you enjoyed the chapter and please review.**

**- Padfoot-Moony-an-Prongs -**


End file.
